From: Biniam Haile \(SWE\) (eritrea.lave@comhem.se)
Date: Thu Mar 05 2009 - 19:15:45 EST
Head of UN General Assembly condemns warrant for Sudan's al-Bashir
(DPA)
5 March 2009
Geneva - United Nations General Assembly president Miguel d'Escoto
Brockmann on Thursday condemned the International Criminal Court (ICC)
decision to issue an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar
al-Bashir, saying it was politically motivated. "I am sorry about the
decision of the ICC. It is more a decision motivated by political
considerations than really for the sake of advancing the cause of
justice in the world," the Nicaraguan diplomat said in Geneva.
It would have preferable to let the ongoing peace negotiations on Darfur
continue, rather than turn the issue into an international legal matter,
Brockmann added.
He said it was "absurd" to have ignored calls by the African Union not
to issue the warrant. There were "a few people with a very dubious past"
who "put themselves on a pedestal of purity and immaculate behaviour."
"To find the peace we are looking for, it would be important to begin by
indicting people from powerful nations, not smaller ones," said
Brockmann, adding that "everyone knows who I am talking about. The
biggest atrocity today is the one being committed in Iraq."
The ICC announced Wednesday issued an international arrest warrant for
al-Bashir on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity related
to atrocities in Sudan's western Darfur region.
Commenting on the Middle East, Brockmann said the situation in the Gaza
Strip was allowed to continue with "impunity" because "there are
powerful, powerful interests defending perpetrators of such atrocities."
No effort should be spared "to try to bring peace between our Israeli
and Palestinian brothers and sisters," he said.
http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/international/
2009/March/international_March389.xml
<http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/international
/2009/March/international_March389.xml§ion=international&col>
§ion=international&col=
----[This List to be used for Eritrea Related News Only]----