AU Commission chairman queries indictment of Sudanese leader Behsir

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has come under scathing attack by none but the head of the African Union Commission, Gabonese diplomat, Jean PingJean Ping. Mr Ping is at odds with the ICC for it allege targeting of African leaders for trial for war crimes.

The AU Commission chair, according to the Sudan Tribune, a Sudan based newspaper, told reporters at a press briefing at the fringes of the Pan African Parliament in Midrand, South Africa, that the ICC deliberately targets African leaders and ignore other leaders from powerful nations with clear records of crimes.

“Why Africa only? Why were these laws not applied on Israel, Sri Lanka and Chechnya and its application is confined to Africa?” Mr Ping queried. He went on to suggest that the former US president be prosecuted for invading Iraq in 2003, citing the fact that that war was waged on the basis of “false claims” and that it was a “violation of international law”.

While accusing some international players for not wanting to accept the fact that the Darfur conflict is now at ‘‘a low intensity’’, the AU diplomat urged all parties in Sudan to settle down for talks and refrain from military solutions, saying that the latter is not the way forward.

Mr Ping is said to be on record of having been outspoken in his criticism of the ICC since the indictment of the Sudanese leader was announced in March. But critics of his views argue that the court has not been focusing on only Africans, pointing at the arrest of former President Milosevic and other alleged Bosnian war criminals.

Ping’s statement came just hours before heading for the Federal Republic of Nigeria, where African leaders were gathered Thursday to discuss possibility of resolving the six-year-long conflict in the troubled Sudanese region. The members of the African Union Peace and Security Council were set to consider proposals drawn up by a high-level AU panel led by former South African president Thabo MbekiThabo Mbeki, which recommends the establishment of a special court of Sudanese and foreign judges to try those suspected of atrocities in Darfur.
Mr Beshir was however not at the gathering despite having been officially invited to attend the 15-member council meeting. Human rights groups had urged Nigeria to detain him if he ever turned up for Thursday's meeting.
He was therefore represented by his second vice president, Ali Osman Mohamed Taha.
In a related development some section of the continental leadership were looking forward to take advantage of the meeting and push for a consideration of the older conflict between the North and South. The Voice of America (VOA) reported that Kenyan president, Mwai KibakiMwai Kibaki, was expected to press the AU Peace and Security Council to also focus attention on this issue to curtail treats against a 2005 peace deal that aims at ending the two-decade North vs South civil war.
As part of that agreement, Sudan is due to hold national elections next year and a referendum on southern independence in 2011.