Arab mini-Summit vowed to press for deferring ICC indictment of Sudan president

Thursday March 12, 2009 report from Sudan Tribune -
Arab mini-Summit pledges to press for freezing Sudan president warrant

March 11, 2009 (RIYADH) — A four-way meeting of Arab leaders hosted by Saudi Arabia on Wednesday vowed to press for deferring the indictment Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir, an Egyptian official said today.



Photo: Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah (L-R), Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak, Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad and Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah meet in Riyadh March 11, 2009 (Reuters)

The mini-summit included Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdel-Aziz, Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, his Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak and Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.

The meeting aimed at defusing the growing tensions that erupted between the regional Arab states following the Israeli assault on Gaza strip.

The Egyptian presidential spokesperson Suleiman Awad said that the leaders “reviewed ways to support president Omer Al-Bashir regarding the arrest warrant for him issued by the ICC and confronting the crisis that affects the dignity of all Arabs and their sovereignty”.

Awad said that the four countries agreed on pressing the international community “through international organizations, Arab League to stop the implementation the decision involving the president of an important Arab state in the region”. [...]

The Egyptian official also said that a “unified Arab vision” has been formulated “to help the Sudanese president and our Sudanese brothers”. [...]

Last week Egypt called for an international conference that brings key world and regional players to agree on a common vision to tackle issues facing Sudan particularly the Darfur crisis “in its security, political and humanitarian” aspects.

Sudan rejected the proposal saying it will “internationalize” the Darfur crisis

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