President Bashir to head delegation to summit — Sudan FM

By Mohammad Ghazal - Mar 28,2017 - Last updated at Mar 28,2017

DEAD SEA — Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir will attend the 28th Arab summit held in Jordan in spite of an international arrest warrant and a call by Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Jordan to ban his entry.

"Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir will lead the Sudan delegation to the Jordan-hosted Arab summit conference which, he said, comes at a critical time in the life of the Arab Nation," Sudanese Minister for Foreign Affairs Ibrahim Ghandour was quoted by the Sudanese News Agency as saying on the sidelines of the Arab summit taking place on the eastern shores of the Dead Sea.

The Sudanese minister said the summit is equally set to discuss the development and rehabilitation efforts in Sudan as well as the question of Arab food security.

He slammed the weekend’s statement by the HRW, which, he said, “continues to make up reports about the Sudan including allegations of the use of chemical weapons in Jabal Mara area, Darfur”.

He said these allegations have been demented by technical equipment, documents and records, which convinced the world community to elect Sudan the deputy chair of the executive office of the chemical weapons ban organisation.

Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said Sunday that Jordan's stance in this regard (allowing Bashir to attend the summit) comes in line with Arab League rules.

Minister of State for Media Affairs Mohammad Momani also said Sunday that Jordan welcomes the participation of Sudan.

Momani said that Jordan would abide by the Arab Charter regarding attendance at the Arab summit. He did not confirm whether the Sudanese leader was coming.

In a report this week, HRW called on Jordan to deny entry to Bashir or arrest him if he enters the country.

Bashir has been a fugitive from the International Criminal Court (ICC) since 2009. He is the subject of two ICC arrest warrants, issued in 2009 and 2010, related to his alleged role in Sudan’s “abusive counterinsurgency campaign in Darfur”. The charges include genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

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