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Sudanâs President Continues Travels in Spite of Arrest Warrants

   Peter Clottey 03 August 2010
   Sudanese  President  Omar  al-Bashir  delivers  a  speech  during  his
   swearing-in ceremony at the parliament in Khartoum, 27 May 2010

Photo: AFP

   Sudanese  President  Omar  al-Bashir  delivers  a  speech  during  his
   swearing-in ceremony at the parliament in Khartoum, 27 May 2010

   A  prominent  member  of  Sudanâs ruling National Congress Party (NCP)
   told VOA President Omar Hassan al-Bashir will begin a two-day official
   state visit to neighboring Libya Wednesday.

   Rabie  Abdelati  Obeid  said  President  Bashirâs  visit should not be
   misconstrued  as  a  direct  challenge  to  the arrest warrants issued
   against  the Sudanese leader by The Hague-based International Criminal
   Court (ICC).

   âThis  visit  to  Libya will be on certain issues. Issue number one is
   the  (bilateral relations) between Libya and Sudan. Number two will be
   on  the  discussion  of  different  regional  issues  concerning (the)
   African  Union  and  the  Arab League. And, (Libyaâs mutual relations)
   with  Sudan  in  the  state  of  commercial activities and movement of
   people  from  Libya  to  Sudan  and  vice-versa,  as well as technical
   cooperation between (them),â he said.

   Last  year,  the  Hague-based  court  issued an arrest warrant against
   President Bashir for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur.
   Last  month,  the  court  also  added genocide charges to the previous
   arrest  warrant  against the Sudanese leader accusing him of presiding
   over rape, torture and murder in western Darfur.

Obeid

   Dr.  Rabie  Abdelati  Obeid,  a  prominent  member of Sudan's dominant
   National Congress Party (NCP)

   But,  supporters  of  the  Sudanese  leader  have  rejected the arrest
   warrants  as  âmanipulationâ  by  the  West  against a sitting head of
   state.

   Khalil Ibrahim, leader of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), the
   largest  Darfur-based  rebel  group,  is currently in Libya after Chad
   refused  him  entry. This comes after the rebels abandoned peace talks
   with Khartoum after accusing the government of attacking its positions
   in western Darfur.

   Sudan  recently  closed its border with Libya after saying some rebels
   often  use  it  to  stage  attacks  within Sudan, including Darfur and
   Omdurman.

   NCP  official  Obeid  said  President  Bashirâs  trip to Libya aims to
   strengthen both security and bilateral relations with Tripoli.

   âNow,  the  only  entrance  to  Sudan is (through) Libya. The visit of
   Khalil  Ibrahim and his group in Libya will make a lot of disturbances
   to  Sudan  and  that  is  why  I  think  this  point will be discussed
   thoroughly  by  President  Omar al-Bashir and Libyan President Muammar
   al-Gaddafi,â Obeid said.

   He  further  said  that Libya has assured Sudan that it will not allow
   Khalil  Ibrahim  and  his  rebels  to use âits territoryâ as a base to
   launch attacks against the people of Sudan.

   Last  month,  embattled  President  Bashir  went  on  a state visit to
   neighboring  Chad,  days  after  the  ICC  issued an additional arrest
   warrant  against  him  for  genocide  in Darfur. Several international
   rights  groups  demanded  his  arrest since Chad is a signatory to the
   Rome Statute which led to the formation of the ICC.

   The African Union, as well as the Arab League, has often said that the
   indictments  against Mr. Bashir could undermine the 2005 Comprehensive
   Peace Agreement (CPA), as well as imperil the resolution of the Darfur
   crisis.

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