BBC Thursday July 16 09
Mr Bashir, wanted on an international arrest warrant for war crimes, had been invited to a development summit.
But a Ugandan minister’s suggestion he could be arrested, followed by a retraction, made the trip less likely. Mr Bashir has managed to visit several African countries despite the warrant for his arrest, issued in March.
But unlike those countries, Uganda is a signatory to the International Criminal Court (ICC), which issued the warrant for Mr Bashir’s arrest. Prosecutors accuse him of organising attacks on civilians in the Darfur region of Sudan.
KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Uganda said Monday it would arrest Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir if he enters the country, an unusual stance after a summit of African leaders denounced the international arrest warrant against al-Bashir.
Henry Oryem Okello, Uganda’s minister for international affairs, spoke after meeting with the International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor, Luis Moreno Ocampo, in Kampala.
Police “will ensure that he is arrested” if al-Bashir arrives, Okello said.
Ocampo added: “It is a legal obligation for Uganda to arrest Bashir if he comes to Uganda.”
Earlier this month at an African Union summit, Africa’s leaders criticized the International Criminal Court and refused to extradite al-Bashir, who has been indicted for crimes against humanity in Darfur.
Sudan welcomed the move, and other Africans said it was a signal that the West should not impose its ways on Africa. But several African leaders appeared to strongly disagree with the AU statement, and Benin Foreign Minister Jean-Marie Ehouzou said Sudan’s neighbor and antagonist, Chad, objected to the wording.
Heads of state at AU summits reach decisions by consensus behind closed doors, not from a vote, and it was not clear how the measure was approved.
