RIYADH: Sudanese Vice President Ali Osman Taha, who wrapped up a daylong visit to Riyadh on Sunday, sought the Kingdom’s intervention to defuse the crisis that has gripped the region after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant against President Omar Bashir.
“Vice President Taha’s talks with Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah were aimed at rallying support against the ICC move,” Sudanese Ambassador Abdel Hafiz Ibrahim said here yesterday.
“Taha was received by King Abdullah on Sunday and the two leaders discussed the situation at length,” said Ibrahim.
The Sudanese vice president, during his unannounced visit to Riyadh, expressed concerns at the situation, while soliciting support from the Saudi government, said Ibrahim.
Taha, who was accompanied by Presidential Adviser Mustafa Ismail and State Minister for Foreign Affairs Ali Karti, delivered a letter to King Abdullah from President Bashir.
Asked about the content of the message, Ibrahim said the letter dealt with the latest developments following the arrest warrant, the issue of Darfur and Saudi-Sudanese relations.
The visit of the Sudanese delegation is significant in view of the deteriorating situation in Sudan.
President Bashir visited Eritrea yesterday, his first trip abroad since the ICC issued the arrest warrant. Eritrea invited Bashir earlier this month soon after the ICC indicted him for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur.
Asked about the likelihood of Bashir attending the Arab summit in Qatar and whether this subject was discussed with King Abdullah, the diplomat said, “The question of Bashir attending the Arab summit has not been decided.” Sudan’s highest religious authority has advised Bashir against foreign visits because of the warrant. Eritrea and Qatar are not likely to arrest Bashir as neither has signed the Rome Statute, which set up the ICC.
On the outcome of Sudanese diplomacy to avert the crisis, Ibrahim said, “The Sudanese government will send high level delegations to countries that sit on the UN Security Council, as well as other friendly countries to muster support.”
Referring to the Kingdom’s desire to see a stable Sudan, he said this was the reason why Saudi Arabia became the first destination visited by the high-ranking Sudanese delegation.
Asked about other subjects discussed by Taha with Saudi officials, Ibrahim said his country wanted to “get the Saudi point of view on the situation in Sudan especially because the Kingdom is a heavyweight in the region and it is also a close ally of Sudan.”
“We look to Saudi Arabia for support in containing the repercussions of the ICC decision,” he added. The Saudi government has said it is “disturbed” by the arrest warrant against Bashir.
King Abdullah was briefed about Khartoum’s decision to expel foreign aid agencies after the ICC arrest warrant, a move that drew international outcry.
Saudi Foreign Minister Saud Al-Faisal told reporters last week that the ICC decision was “politicized.”
