News Article by REUTERS posted on September 08, 2008 at 21:53:04: EST (-5 GMT)
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AU chairman backs Sudan's Bashir over court KHARTOUM (Reuters) - The chairman of the African Union affirmed support for deferring any war crimes indictment against Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir during a visit to Khartoum on Monday. The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has asked judges to issue an arrest warrant for Bashir for war crimes committed in Sudan's western Darfur region. "Justice has to be done. Justice must be seen to be done. What the AU is simply saying is that what is critical, what is the priority, is peace. That is priority number one now," Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete said, standing beside Bashir. "We should do the first thing first. On this basis, the AU supports deferral of the indictment," said Kikwete, who currently chairs the regional bloc. Bashir rejects accusations of war crimes and genocide. Both the African Union and Arab League have already said they want any indictment put on hold, saying it could obstruct efforts to bring peace to Darfur, where international experts say at least 200,000 people have died as a result of conflict since 2003. But Kikwete's statement on Monday was one of the most high profile gestures of support to date for the Sudanese president in his efforts to postpone the global court's action. Kikwete praised the Sudanese government during the press conference at Khartoum's Republican Palace, saying he was impressed by its commitment to protect aid convoys in Darfur, further peace talks with the rebels and accelerate the deployment of international peacekeepers. His comments came as Sudan stepped up diplomatic efforts to woo members of the United Nations Security Council which has the power to order a recurring one year postponement of a prosecution or investigation by the ICC. State media on Monday reported that Sudan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs was focusing on building bridges with China, Russia and other African and Asian members of the Security Council to win support for the "Article 16" postponement Both Russia and China have signaled support for suspending the process, although neither has been willing to take the lead on the issue in the Security Council. So far the three other permanent members of the Security Council -- France, Britain and the United States -- have remained tight-lipped on whether they would use their veto power to block a suspension. Darfur rebels took up arms against Khartoum complaining of neglect and discrimination against the region's non-Arab people. Earlier this week, rebel groups accused Sudanese government forces of attacking a number of their positions in North Darfur. Aid sources, who asked not to be named, said a "significant number" of people had been forced to flee their homes by the fighting and were now searching for shelter.
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