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From: Biniam Tekle (biniamt@dehai.org)
Date: Mon Jun 27 2011 - 13:44:17 EDT
A plane carrying Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir on his controversial trip
to China has turned back without official explanation.
The plane returned to Iran, where Mr Bashir had attended an anti-terrorism
conference.
Mr Bashir was due to have met China's President Hu Jintao on Monday.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant for Mr
Bashir, accusing him of war crimes during the conflict in Darfur.
*http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13929867*
*27 June 2011* Last updated at 12:41 ET
Sudan President Omar al-Bashir's China visit delayed
Human rights groups say China should not have invited Mr Bashir.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said his government had every
right to invite Mr Bashir, as it is not a signatory to the ICC treaty.
"China has reserved its opinion towards the International Criminal Court
lawsuit against President Omar al-Bashir," he said.
"President Bashir has been visiting other countries on a number of occasions
and has been warmly welcomed by those countries."
Oil links
"The presidential plane was flying over Turkmenistan on Sunday, when they
chose a new route," the foreign ministry said in a statement carried by
Sudan's official Suna news agency.
He is now expected to arrive in China on Tuesday and is to meet Mr Hu on
Wednesday.
Amnesty International said if China did not arrest Mr Bashir, the country
would become a "safe haven for alleged perpetrators of genocide".
The ICC has charged Mr Bashir with crimes against humanity, war crimes and
genocide over alleged atrocities in Darfur.
China is a major investor in Sudan's oil industry, and has expressed concern
that the arrest warrant could destabilise Sudan further.
Since the ICC issued its arrest warrant, Mr Bashir has visited countries
including Eritrea, Egypt, Libya and Qatar - none of whom are signed up to
the ICC.
He also visited Kenya, which decided not to detain him despite being a
signatory to the ICC's treaty.
The treaty obliges signatories to detain anyone wanted by the court.
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