RIYADH: The Arab Inter-Parliamentary Union (APU), a regional grouping of 22 Arab parliaments, has called on the UN Security Council to suspend the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Sudanese President Omar Bashir for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
The call to refrain from any further action to prosecute the sitting head of state of Sudan was made ahead of a high-profile APU conference that is scheduled to be opened in Oman tomorrow.
“A 15-member Saudi delegation led by Shoura Council Chairman Abdullah Al-Asheikh will participate in the three-day APU conference,” Nour Eddine Bouchkouj, APU secretary-general, said yesterday.
The APU chief, who was speaking to Arab News from Muscat via telephone, said Al-Asheikh would represent Saudi Arabia for the first time at the APU conference since his shift from heading the Justice Ministry to the Shoura.
The conference will be attended by parliamentarians from at least 18 Arab countries. Observers from the United States, Russia, some Asian and African countries, the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Organization of Islamic Conference and Arab Maghreb Union will also attend.
Referring to the agenda of the conference, the APU chief said that the ICC’s arrest warrant against Bashir and its fallout on Arab nations will top the agenda of the discussions. “On behalf of the APU, I express regrets and concerns about the ICC’s arrest warrant against the Sudanese president,” said Bouchkouj.
He said African and Arab nations had reaffirmed their support for Bashir, fearing the warrant issued against him would escalate the conflict in Darfur, where up to 300,000 people have reportedly died since 2003.
“We reaffirm our solidarity with Sudan and call on the international community to resolve the issue,” said Bouchkouj, adding that the Arab League is considering a proposal to send a delegation to the UN Security Council to raise the issue.
