ISTANBUL: Turkey’s president yesterday urged Sudanese leader Omar Bashir to act responsibly and end the suffering in the devastated Darfur region. Turkey’s state-run news Anatolia news agency reported that President Abdullah Gul told Bashir that “human suffering agitates all, no matter which religion, ethnicity or language those who suffer belong to.” Gul added “everyone needs to do their part to alleviate this pain.”
A Turkish official who was at the talks confirmed the report, adding that Bashir accused foreign parties of interference in Darfur. The two leaders held a closed-door meeting yesterday. Bashir — accused of genocide in Darfur by prosecutors — is in Turkey for a summit of African leaders, his first trip abroad since the International Criminal Court indicted him in July on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The Sudanese leader has said Khartoum does not recognize the court in The Hague, Netherlands, and will never cooperate with it.
Neither Sudan nor Turkey signed the treaty that founded the court, meaning Turkish authorities are unlikely to arrest Bashir even if the court’s international prosecutor is able to issue a warrant. A panel of judges was reviewing evidence submitted by the prosecutor for a warrant. However, Turkey is under pressure to take a critical stance on Sudan. New York-based Human Rights Watch called on Turkey to express to the Sudanese delegation that it supports the court’s move.
Bashir’s government is accused of directing the Janjaweed militia campaign against black African groups that say the government discriminates against ethnic Africans. The Janjaweed militias also are blamed for extreme violence against civilians.
The two presidents, who met for 30 minutes in an Ottoman-era palace by the Bosporus Strait on the sidelines of the summit, did not discuss the ICC or the case against Bashir. African and Arab states are pushing for the suspension of moves by the court to indict Bashir and say they could hamper efforts to bring peace to Darfur.
Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ali Babacan on Monday asked his African counterparts to support Ankara’s candidacy for a temporary seat on the UN Security Council. “We assure you that we will do our best to be the voice of Africa, along with African nations on the Security Council,” he said.
