Arab League rejects ICC Bashir warrant

Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir was given a boost by the Arab League at the conclusion of its two-day summit, which he attended in Qatar on Monday.

“We reiterate our solidarity with Sudan and our rejection of the measure of the ... International Criminal Court against his Excellency,” it said in its final statement.

A one-day Second Summit of Arab-South American Countries closed on Tuesday with the adoption of a declaration that welcomes the initiative of the Arab League and the African Union to resolve the Darfur crisis, and calls on all the Sudanese factions to respond positively to the initiative to ensure its success.

Source: reports from The Times and Xinhua, copy here below.



Photo: Sudan's Omar al-Bashir (L) chats with Saudi King Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz as they pose for a photo prior to the 21st Arab League summit, in Doha March 30, 2009. (Abaca Photo via Newscom bia Middle East Times)



Photo: Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, left, is accompanied by Qatari Emir Sheik Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani upon his arrival at Doha airport, Qatar, Sunday, March 29, 2009, for a summit meeting. The main topics to be addressed at the summit include ongoing Palestinian feuding and crafting an Arab response to the Hague-based International Criminal Court's arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for alleged crimes against humanity in the suppression of a rebellion in the Darfur region. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammarl) Associated Press



Photo: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas attends the final session of an Arab summit in Doha Monday, March 30, 2009. The summit voiced support for Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir on Monday, rejecting an international arrest warrant issued against him for alleged war crimes in Darfur. REUTERS/Ahmed Jadallah

March 31, 2009 report by Xinhua - excerpt:
Arab-South America summit ends with declaration

DOHA, March 31 (Xinhua) -- The one-day Second Summit of Arab-South American Countries closed here Tuesday with the adoption of an 11-point declaration on politic affairs, the Middle East peace process, and financial and economic cooperation. [...]

On the Sudan issue, the declaration welcomes the initiative of the Arab League and the African Union to resolve the Darfur crisis, and calls on all the Sudanese factions to respond positively to the initiative to ensure its success.

However, it falls short of mentioning the International Criminal Court’s (ICC’s) arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for alleged war crimes in Darfur.

See April 2, 2009 report from The Times: World court under threat as President al-Bashir of Sudan defies warrant