Follow Us:

Recent Statement by Sudanese President Al-Bashir, Human Rights Committee's consideration of the III report of Sudan and EP's adoption of a Resolution on Darfur

23 July 2007

Dear all,

Please find below excerpts from media articles on the recent statement by
Sudanese President Al-Bashir, the Human Rights Committee's consideration of
the third report of Sudan and the European Parliament's adoption of a
Resolution on Darfur.

Please take note of the Coalition's policy on situations before the ICC
(below), which explicitly states that the CICC will not take a position on
potential or pending situations before the court. The Coalition, however,
will continue to provide the most up-to-date information about the ICC.

With regards,

Mariana Rodriguez Pareja
CICC Spanish Information Services Coordinator and Latin America Analyst
[email protected]

******

I. SUDAN'S PRESIDENT AL- BASHIR: "DARFUR NOW SECURE AND PEACEFUL" BUT
CONCERNED BY MANDATE OF HYBRID FORCES

i. "Darfur now secure and peaceful-Sudanese president," Reuters, 22 July
2002,
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/B268062.htm

"Most of Darfur is now secure and peaceful, and the region's negative image
is due to 'black propaganda' spread by the United States and Britain, senior
Sudanese officials said on Sunday.

Following a tour of Darfur's three war-ravaged states, President Omar Hassan
al-Bashir rejected foreign intervention in the four-year conflict, in which
international experts say 200,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million
more displaced.

After opening a number of new hospitals, wells and a renovated football
stadium, Bashir catalogued the works his government had done for the region.

'During our visit we confirmed that most of Darfur is now secure and
enjoying real peace,' Bashir told around 35 ministers in an open cabinet
meeting. 'People are living normal lives.'.

Most of Bashir's ministers voiced their support, but one, from the former
southern rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement, said the conflict could
not be ignored. 'If people continue to say that there's no problem in Darfur
then we will never solve the problem of Darfur,' said Minister of Investment
Malik Agar. 'It's like a bleeding thumb.'

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued arrests warrants for
junior cabinet Minister Ahmed Haroun and an allied militia leader, both
accused of conspiring to commit war crimes. Haroun was present at the
meeting. Unable to travel outside Sudan or greet international delegations,
he represents the ruling party at most official functions."

ii. "Sudan concerned by U.N.-AU Darfur force mandate," Reuters, 15 July
2007,
http://africa.reuters.com/wire/news/usnL15170412.html

"Sudan said on Sunday it had reservations about the mandate given to a
26,000-strong U.N.-African Union Darfur force under a draft U.N. Security
Council resolution. After months of talks, threats and negotiations,
Khartoum finally agreed to the force to bolster 7,000 struggling AU troops
and police who have failed to stem the violence which international experts
estimate has killed 200,000. 'At the current stage we do not accept it, we
have reservations,' said foreign ministry spokesman Ali al-Sadig. 'We are
engaged in consultations with the members of the Security Council ... we
believe we will come to an agreed language,' he added.
He declined to give specifics but said the concerns were not about the
number of troops, but the mandate. The draft resolution said the joint force
was "authorised to use all necessary means," and was to be deployed under
Chapter VII of the U.N. Charter, which would give the troops authority to
use force to protect the millions of civilians under threat in Sudan's
remote west..
Sadig said that language in the resolution did not conform to the agreement
in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa last month to accept the joint force.
The force was unlikely to deploy before next year. The draft resolution
would authorise the world body to begin recruitment for the force. Sudan has
said most of the troops should be from Africa.
While Sudan's agreement to the resolution is not needed, member states would
be concerned the government may obstruct the deployment or operations of the
force if Khartoum disagreed with its mandate.. One militia leader and a
junior cabinet minister are wanted by the International Criminal Court for
war crimes."
II. HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE, 46TH SESSION OF ASIAN-AFRICAN LEGAL CONSULTIVE
ORGANISATION

i. "Human Rights Committee considers report of Sudan", United Nations Human
Rights Committee, July 12 2007
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/LSGZ-753CZ5?OpenDocument

"The Human Rights Committee has considered the third report of Sudan on how
that State party is implementing the provisions of the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

Ibrahim Margani Ibrahim Mohamed Kheir, Permanent Representative of Sudan to
the United Nations Office at Geneva, in introductory remarks, underscored
that Sudan had done much since its previous report in 1997. The current
situation was completely different from what it had been back then. Higher
education, ceasefires and a free press were all new things that the Sudanese
were now enjoying. The Government was no longer financing government press,
and there were now no fewer than six private TV stations in the country, in
addition to the official one. Those changes represented a revolution in the
area of civil and political rights. While things were not perfect, the
current Darfur Peace Agreement, and the collaboration of the Government with
the United Nations Security Council and the African Union, represented a
milestone towards improving the situation in Darfur..

In terms of Sudan's cooperation with the International Criminal Court (ICC),
it should be recalled that Sudan was neither a member nor a signatory to the
ICC. Furthermore, the delegation stressed that the ICC did not respect the
non-discrimination article of the Covenant, and the Committee should not
venture into such political questions. The Sudanese Government had
underscored that the ICC was not a competent authority, that it had no
jurisdiction, and thus the ICC could not deal with the Darfur case, even if
the Security Council transferred it to the ICC. Similarly, Sudan believed
that the demands of the Attorney General of the ICC to accuse certain
individuals had no legal basis, and that that procedure went against Sudan's
right to use domestic law to deal with the situation, as enshrined in the
Covenant. Sudan was committed to exercise its domestic law without any kind
of discrimination and would use its traditional penal proceedings in the
Darfur case.."

ii. "Sudan Takes Part in the 46th session of Asian - African Legal
Consultative Organization," Suna News Agency, 12 July 2007,
http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=upiSUB-2007071218381920&show_article

"The Minister of Justice, Mohamed Ali Al-Mardhi, has chaired Sudan
delegation in the 46th session of the Asian - African Legal Consultative
Organization, which was held in Cape Town, South Africa, during July 2 - 6.
The session discussed latest developments relating to the issue of the
International Criminal Court, and the positions of the Asian and African
countries in this regard, besides human rights in Islam.."

III. EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ADOPTS A RESOLUTION ON DARFUR AND PEACE FORCE
PLANNED FOR CHAD

i. "Tougher Sanctions on Khartoum Asks EP Resolution On Darfur," US Fed
News, 14 July 2007, http://www.europaworld.org/week314/tougher13707.htm

"MEPs adopted today in Strasbourg Plenary a resolution on the situation in
Sudan's Darfur, following last week's visit of an ad-hoc delegation led by
Josep Borrell (PES, ES). MEPs ask Member States of the EU to monitor more
strictly the arms embargo against Khartoum and to enforce a no-fly zone over
the region. They also call for an in-depth investigation on unpaid
African-Union mission soldiers. The resolution condemns the 'blatant
violation' of the UN arms embargo by the Government of Sudan as set out in
the UN Security Council Resolutions of 30 July 2004 (S/Res/1556) and 29
March 2005..

The resolution urges Sudan to 'arrest Humanitarian Affairs Minister Ahmad
Muhammad Harun and Janjaweed leader Ali Kushayb' suspected of war crimes and
crimes against humanity and to surrender them to the International Criminal
Court.."

ii. "Peace Force Planned," Inter Press Service, 17 July 2007
http://allafrica.com/stories/200707170844.html

".'When EU foreign ministers meet, it is important that they remind
themselves that the recruitment and use of children under 15 is a war
crime,' Leicht added. 'The EU has signed a cooperation agreement with the
International Criminal Court. So any EU force deployed to Chad should see
itself as a possible provider of evidence to the Court, and assist in
possible investigations by the Court.'."

***********

CICC's policy on the referral and prosecution of situations before the ICC:

The Coalition for the ICC is not an organ of the court. The CICC is an
independent NGO movement dedicated to the establishment of the International
criminal court as a fair, effective, and independent international
organization. The Coalition will continue to provide the most up-to-date
information about the ICC and to help coordinate global action to
effectively implement the Rome statute of the ICC. The Coalition will also
endeavor to respond to basic queries and to raise Awareness about the ICC's
trigger mechanisms and procedures, as they develop. The Coalition as a
whole, and its secretariat, do not endorse or promote specific
investigations or prosecutions or take a position on Situations before the
ICC. However, individual CICC members May endorse
Referrals, provide legal and other support on investigations, or develop
Partnerships with local and other organizations in the course of their
Efforts.
Communications to the ICC can be sent to:
ICC
P.O. box 19519
2500 CM the Hague
The Netherlands