AU appoints Mbeki to intercede between ICC and Sudan

From BBC Friday 06 March 2009 - Mbeki named to heal Bashir rift - excerpt:

The African Union has appointed former South African President Thabo Mbeki to chair a committee to investigate human rights violations in Darfur.

South Africa's Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said Mr Mbeki's role was to intercede between the International Criminal Court and Sudan.

The African Union has asked the ICC to delay the charges for a year, warning that attempts to arrest Mr Bashir could further destabilise the situation in Darfur.

A spokesman for Mr Mbeki confirmed that he had accepted the appointment.

Sudan's deputy permanent representative to the AU, Akuei Bona Malwal, told the BBC that the agencies had been "deemed to have worked beyond the permit that was given to them".

He said it was a "coincidence" that the agencies had been expelled on the same day as the ICC issued the warrant.

(Hat tip: ICC Observers blog post AU appoints Mbeki to negotiate with UN, struggles to address Bashir Warrant)