Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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July 13, 2008

Thousands Rally in Sudan Over New War Crimes Charges 
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1D35A29:A6F02AD83191E160C76F030267EFB8B730EB2FA2E66CBB22&
 
Demonstration comes as President Omar al-Bashir holds an emergency
cabinet meeting to discuss potential prosecution 
      Pro-government demonstrators, holding a placard referring to
International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo, 13 Jul 2007

 Thousands of people have rallied in the Sudanese capital, Khartoum, to
protest reports that the International Criminal Court may indict the
country's president for war crimes.Protesters brought traffic to a
standstill as they marched through the capital Sunday shouting "Down,
Down, USA" and other slogans.The state-sponsored demonstration came as
President Omar al-Bashir held an emergency cabinet meeting to discuss
the potential prosecution.The ICC is expected on Monday to indict Mr.
al-Bashir and other top Sudanese officials for war crimes committed in
the Darfur region over the last five years.Sudan has said an ICC case
could undermine peace efforts in the war-torn region. Sudanese officials
have requested an emergency meeting of the Arab League, however no date
has been set.Sudan's U.N. Ambassador, Abdalmahmood Abdalhaleem, called
the court's reported plan for indictments "criminal."A Sudanese
government spokesman, Rabie Atti, says Khartoum will continue its policy
of n!
 ot cooperating with the ICC, no matter who is named as a suspect.The
United Nations has tightened security for its staff in Sudan, fearing a
violent backlash if the ICC indicts Mr. Bashir. 

 Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.

 


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