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Darfur Part IV: Latin America-Arab States Summit in Qatar; Interviews with Al-Bashir with Brazilian Press and Venezuelan TV; Visit of Al-Bashir to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

03 Apr 2009

Dear friends,

Find below the final of our four-part message regarding the International Criminal Court's investigation in Darfur, Sudan, with particular reference to the 4 March arrest warrant issued for Omar Hassan Ahmad Al-Bashir, the president of Sudan, for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

This message contains information on the recent Latin America- Arab States summit, held in Qatar (I); interviews with President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir with the Brazilian press and with the Venezuelan press (II); and the visit of President Sudan to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (III).

We encourage you to participate in our blog discussion on Darfur by visiting www.coalitionfortheicc.org/ blog

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 and current situations before the Court or situations under analysis. The Coalition, however, will continue to provide the most up-to-date information about the ICC.

Regards,

CICC Secretariat
[email protected]

*************
I. ARAB-SOUTH AMERICAN SUMMIT

i. "EXTRA: Chavez backs Sudan's al-Bashir against ICC," Earth Times, 31 March 2009, http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/262340,extra-chavez-backs-sudans-al-bashir-against-icc.html

"Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, speaking to reporters as he arrived in the Qatari capital of Doha for a summit of Latin-American and Arab leaders on Tuesday, backed Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir in his confrontation with the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the UN Security Council. The ICC 'has no power to take such an action against a sitting president,' Chavez said in remarks broadcast on Doha's al-Jazeera satellite news channel..."

ii. "Venezuelan president slams warrant against Beshir," IC Publications, 31 March 2009, http://www.africasia.com/services/news/newsitem.php?area=mideast&item=090331073953.baza05lt.php

"Venezuela' President Hugo Chavez on Tuesday slammed as a 'judicial horror' an international arrest warrant issued against Sudan's President Omar al-Beshir for alleged war crimes in Darfur. The warrant is 'a judicial horror and a disrespect to the people of the Third World,' Chavez told reporters on his arrival at dawn in Doha.

... 'They are doing this because it is an African country of the Third World,' said the Venezuelan leader, known for his fiery views and animosity towards the United States.

Chavez is in Doha attending a summit of representatives of the 22 members of the Arab League and 12 South American countries, who are seeking to boost ties...."

iii. "Arab-Latin American ties hailed," Al Jazeera, 31 March 2009, http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/03/2009331131144938569.html

"Latin American leaders have underscored the importance of economic and political ties with the Arab world in a summit meeting with their Arab counterparts in Qatar.
Tuesday's meeting, the second Arab-Latin American summit, in Doha, the Qatari capital, followed the conclusion of the Arab League conference in the city.
Though geographically distant, the two blocs are looking to step up trade and investment flows.

.... Regional issues, such as the deadlocked Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and the international arrest warrant for alleged war crimes in Darfur facing Omar al-Bashir, the Sudanese president, were also raised by South American leaders.

The ICC 'has no power to take such an action against a sitting president', Chavez said on his arrival in Doha.

'It does so because it is an African country, a Third World country.'

.... But some Latin American leaders refused to show solidarity with al-Bashir. Cristina Kirchner, the president of Argentina, walked out of the official session to avoid being photographed in his company...."

iv. "Brazil vs Venezuela in the final declaration of the Arab Latin Summit," Estadao, 31 March 2009, http://www.estadao.com.br/noticias/internacional,brasil-deve-pedir-declaracao-vaga-sobre-sudao,347594,0.htm

Estadao reported on the "fine line" that Lula has to keep in order to stay out of any problem at the Summit- adding that "President Lula might be forced to take a stand over two of the most important international conflicts. The first one has to do with Sudan, which is seeking for support within Latin America for Omar Al-Bashir... Some Latin American states, such as Venezuela, are willing to take a stand pro- Sudan. But Brazil insisted on keeping a 'standard' language in the final resolution. Last night, the final declaration- to be disclosed today- only called for the end of the Darfur crisis and called for more support to the peace process. For Khartoum, the final declaration is not perfect, but it provides a framework of support for their purposes...."

Note: Informal translation by the CICC.

v. "Brazil president declines seat next to Sudan's Bashir in Qatar," Sudan Tribune, 1 April 2009, http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article30730

"The Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva refused to sit next to his Sudanese counterpart Omer Hassan Al-Bashir during a lunch banquet in Arab Gulf state of Qatar, a newspaper reported today.

Both leaders were present for the 2nd annual summit for Arab and South American states held in Doha yesterday. The Brazilian 'O Globo' newspaper said that da Silva was told that he would be sitting next to Bashir and the Somali president Sharif Ahmed.

The newspaper said that the Brazilian leader 'ate only the appetizer, and to see the arrival of the President of Sudan, which was delayed, stood up, greeted him [Bashir] briefly and left saying he had an appointment'.

The Brazilian foreign ministry claimed that 'no words were even exchanged' between Bashir and Da Silva, the newspaper said.

The Arab-Latin states summit yesterday avoided taking any position on the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against Al-Bashir.

It was reported that the South American states have refused to add language to the final declaration adopted by the summit rejecting the ICC arrest warrant or expressing support for Sudan against threats to its sovereignty and territorial integrity...."

vi. "Arab-South America summit ends with declaration," Xinhua Net, 31 March 2009, http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-04/01/content_11109530.htm

"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.

The declaration covers such major issues as the Palestinian-Israeli peace, the situation in Iraq, the Sudan issue, the fight against terrorism, international cooperation and response to the ongoing global financial crisis.

.... 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 also:
"Arab-South America summit refuse to back Sudan's Bashir on ICC warrant," 31 March 2009,
http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article30722

II. VENEZUELA- BRAZIL: INTERVIEWS WITH AL BASHIR

i. "We reject imperialist policies in our region", TeleSur, 1 April 2009,
http://www.telesurtv.net/noticias/entrev-reportajes/index.php?ckl=222

"TeleSur interviewed with Al-Bashir, who has the support of the Darfuri people, of the Arab States and of Latin America, mostly after the statement [delivered] by the Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez.

The President of the Sudan, Omar Al-Bashir, expressed this Wednesday his rejection to the imperialists policies in South Africa and in the rest of the world, after the issuance of an arrest warrant against him by the International Criminal Court (ICC)- being accused of alleged crimes against humanity.

... QUESTION: What is your position before the decision of the ICC, which has ordered your detention for your alleged involvement in crimes against humanity in the context of the situation in Darfur, where human rights organisations have denounced more than 300,000 people were killed and more than 2 million were displaced....?

AL-BASHIR: The subject [you mention Darfur] is artificial [made up]. It's a question of domination, of [a] colonization that affected the center of the Sudan, and after we signed the peace [deal], the colonization forces moved [towards] Darfur and took advantage of a very small internal conflict, and they turned it into a conflict against the whole country.

They made all the mass media say that the Darfur situation was a big issue. We think that when somebody is planning a coup d'etat in any country, the country has the right to solve that problem in order to establish peace. And also, whenever there's an armed conflict, people have to seek for secure places.

We found that the Darfuri citizens, when they escaped from the conflicted areas, they went to controlled zones.... controlled by the government and now all the IDP camps are located in the main cities, where the armed forces are the police and [internal] security [forces].

It is not possible that a citizen who is [allegedly] escaping seeking for security, goes to a place where [people are saying] they are getting killed. The imperialists made up the news of the deaths and now we are defying them and proving that those numbers are not real, nor the number of the displaced.

We know that the objective of all this is Sudan, because we have always confronted the colonization threats, we were always against the aggression to Iraq, we are against [the subject] in Afghanistan and against what is currently happening in Somalia and Palestine. We are in disagreement with the aggressions and the colonist's policy of Irsael in Palestine and we had a great support of Lebanon and we support Hamas.

American companies were granted with the Sudanese oil and we expelled those companies, and that annoyed the imperialist's countries and that is the reason why they are targeting Sudan.

That is the reason why I say that the order issued by the ICC is against the Sudan, because we see that all the Sudanese people rejected the warrant and especially, the darfuri people.

QUESTION: What is behind [the ICC] decision? What do you think?

AL-BASHIR: The imperialist's forces say that the current [Sudanese] government is an obstacle, so this is an attempt to put Sudan under pressure to change its [internal] policy towards the imperialist's countries and to stop our attempts to strengthen the internal movements and policies in the Sudan.

They thought that, when the arrest warrant was issued, all the people were going to stand against the government but we found out that the people stood up for the national governemnt.

...QUESTION: Do you think the ICC will lift the warrant?

AL-BASHIR: We believe that it's not possible because France, UK and USA have the right to vetoe at the UNSC, and it's not a trustworthy institution and it's an American instrument, but we trust China and Russia and the NAM...."

NOTE: Informal translation by the CICC.

ii. "Presidente do Sudão diz que conta com apoio do Brasil," Estadao (Brazil), 30 March 2009, http://www.estadao.com.br/noticias/internacional,presidente-do-sudao-quer-apoio-do-brasil,347022,0.htm

"Sudan wants the support of South American countries, especially of Brazil' in order to 'defeat the colonianism.' This was stated by the President of the Sudan, Omar Hassan Al-Bashir in an exclusive interview, by email....Bashir, who arrived yesterday in Doha for Arab League Summit, was accused by ICC of war crimes in Darfur. In the first interview to a foreign media since his indictment, however, he did not answer to some questions.

[QUESTION] Why did the war begin Darfur?

[AL-BASHIR] The [main] reason for conflicts in the African continent, Darfur is not exception to this, is not the lack of development or the fight for the water or natural resources, but the fight between tribes for lands....

[QUESTION] How do you evaluate your indictment with the ICC?

[AL-BASHIR] The treaty of the ICC provides the complementarity principle and not the substition of local justice. We have that to add, however, that Sudan is not member to the ICC. The government is trying to reach peace in Darfur and signed the agreement of Abuja, on 5 May 2006. Since then, in Darfur other factions appeared....Powerful countries had sent awful messages, instead of supporting the initiative of the government....
[QUESTION] What do you expect- in terms of Darfur- from the meeting between the Arab League and South American countries?

[AL-BASHIR] Several positions of support have been expressed in differente resolutions by NAM, Group of the 77, Arab League, African Union and Organization of the Islamic Conference. Influential and 'big' countries such as China, Russia, many Asian countries, and Southamerican countries as well expressed support. This is an example that the decision that will come out of this meeting will be to help our people and by supporting Sudan, [the different countries] defeat of the colonialism that keeps our citizens oppresed."

NOTE: Informal translation by the CICC.

III. AL-BASHIR VISITS SAUDI ARABIA

i. "President Al-Bashir arrives in Jeddah to perform Umrah Rituals," SMC, 1 April 2009,
http://english.smc.sd/enmain/entopic/?artID=16885

"President of the Republic Omer Al-Bashir and his accompanying delegation arrived to kingdom of Saudi Arabia today to perform Umrah rituals.
..... His Excellency was arrived in the Qatari capital Doha on Monday to participate in the Arab Summit and Arab Latin, which have expressed solidarity with Sudan against the Criminal Court and the double standard policies.

It should be noted that the president''s visit to the Kingdom is the fifth out of the country since the issuance of the memorandum of International Criminal Court, where he has traveled to Eritrea, Egypt, Libya and Qatar...."

ii. "Sudan's Beshir in Saudi for Mecca pilgrimage," AFP, 1 April 2009, http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jvHsBbqqTQfqe949jKKnpEByjOZA

"Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir arrived in Saudi Arabia Wednesday to perform pilgrimage, in another show of defiance against an international arrest warrant for alleged war crimes, SPA news agency said.

Beshir arrived in Jeddah early Wednesday to perform the umrah, or minor pilgrimage, to the Muslim holy city of Mecca, reported SPA, Saudi's official news agency.

..... Beshir took part Sunday in the Arab League summit in Doha, where he won strong support in his battle against the arrest warrant issued on March 4 by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over alleged war crimes in the vast Darfur region of western Sudan.
'We stress our solidarity with Sudan and our rejection of the ICC decision against President Omar al-Beshir,' the leaders said in their final statement, read out by Arab League chief Amr Mussa.

Saudi Arabia is the fifth country Beshir has visited since the ICC issued the warrant on March 4. No attempt has been made to arrest him during any of the visits...."

iii. "Sudanese president comments on continued foreign travel," Sudan Television,
31 March 2009 (link not available)

"President Umar Al-Bashir, in a speech to Sudanese nationals resident in Qatar, has commented on his continued travel abroad in the face of the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant against him. He said ''When I went to Eritrea and Egypt they said he will just go nearby. But we believe in what God has pre-determined for us.'' The address was broadcast live on state-owned Sudan TV.

....Implying that the arrest warrant against him by the International Criminal Court was about oil, he said the West thought Sudanese oil was theirs to exploit, but Sudan instead 'worked with China and Malaysia and exploited it'.

He further accused the ICC of inflating the number of people killed in Darfur to use words such as genocide and mass rape. He said such statements were 'mere fabrications' and part of 'a nasty media campaign against Sudan'....."

See also:
1. "Bashir performs Umrah,"Arab News, 2 April 2009, http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article=121105&d=2&m=4&y=2009&pix=kingdom.jpg&category=Kingdom
2. "Sudan's Bashir returns after defiant Saudi trip," Reuters, 2 April 2009,
http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE5301W920090401?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews&rpc=76

**************************

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:
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News Browse by Region Media Digests Country Updates UN Excerpts on the ICC Updates of the Assembly Browse by Region		Darfur Part IV: Latin America-Arab States Summit in Qatar; Interviews with Al-Bashir with Brazilian Press and Venezuelan TV; Visit of Al-Bashir to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia 03 Apr 2009 Dear friends, Find below the final of our four-part message regarding the International Criminal Court's investigation in Darfur, Sudan, with particular reference to the 4 March arrest warrant issued for Omar Hassan Ahmad Al-Bashir, the president of Sudan, for war crimes and crimes against humanity. This message contains information on the recent Latin America- Arab States summit, held in Qatar (I); interviews with President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir with the Brazilian press and with the Venezuelan press (II); and the visit of President Sudan to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (III). We encourage you to participate in our blog discussion on Darfur by visiting www.coalitionfortheicc.org/ blog 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 and current situations before the Court or situations under analysis. The Coalition, however, will continue to provide the most up-to-date information about the ICC. Regards, CICC Secretariat [email protected] *********** I. ARAB-SOUTH AMERICAN SUMMIT i. "EXTRA: Chavez backs Sudan's al-Bashir against ICC," Earth Times, 31 March 2009, http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/262340,extra-chavez-backs-sudans-al-bashir-against-icc.html "Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, speaking to reporters as he arrived in the Qatari capital of Doha for a summit of Latin-American and Arab leaders on Tuesday, backed Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir in his confrontation with the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the UN Security Council. The ICC 'has no power to take such an action against a sitting president,' Chavez said in remarks broadcast on Doha's al-Jazeera satellite news channel..." ii. "Venezuelan president slams warrant against Beshir," IC Publications, 31 March 2009, http://www.africasia.com/services/news/newsitem.php?area=mideast&item=090331073953.baza05lt.php "Venezuela' President Hugo Chavez on Tuesday slammed as a 'judicial horror' an international arrest warrant issued against Sudan's President Omar al-Beshir for alleged war crimes in Darfur. The warrant is 'a judicial horror and a disrespect to the people of the Third World,' Chavez told reporters on his arrival at dawn in Doha. ... 'They are doing this because it is an African country of the Third World,' said the Venezuelan leader, known for his fiery views and animosity towards the United States. Chavez is in Doha attending a summit of representatives of the 22 members of the Arab League and 12 South American countries, who are seeking to boost ties...." iii. "Arab-Latin American ties hailed," Al Jazeera, 31 March 2009, http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/03/2009331131144938569.html "Latin American leaders have underscored the importance of economic and political ties with the Arab world in a summit meeting with their Arab counterparts in Qatar. Tuesday's meeting, the second Arab-Latin American summit, in Doha, the Qatari capital, followed the conclusion of the Arab League conference in the city. Though geographically distant, the two blocs are looking to step up trade and investment flows. .... Regional issues, such as the deadlocked Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and the international arrest warrant for alleged war crimes in Darfur facing Omar al-Bashir, the Sudanese president, were also raised by South American leaders. The ICC 'has no power to take such an action against a sitting president', Chavez said on his arrival in Doha. 'It does so because it is an African country, a Third World country.' .... But some Latin American leaders refused to show solidarity with al-Bashir. Cristina Kirchner, the president of Argentina, walked out of the official session to avoid being photographed in his company...." iv. "Brazil vs Venezuela in the final declaration of the Arab Latin Summit," Estadao, 31 March 2009, http://www.estadao.com.br/noticias/internacional,brasil-deve-pedir-declaracao-vaga-sobre-sudao,347594,0.htm Estadao reported on the "fine line" that Lula has to keep in order to stay out of any problem at the Summit- adding that "President Lula might be forced to take a stand over two of the most important international conflicts. The first one has to do with Sudan, which is seeking for support within Latin America for Omar Al-Bashir... Some Latin American states, such as Venezuela, are willing to take a stand pro- Sudan. But Brazil insisted on keeping a 'standard' language in the final resolution. Last night, the final declaration- to be disclosed today- only called for the end of the Darfur crisis and called for more support to the peace process. For Khartoum, the final declaration is not perfect, but it provides a framework of support for their purposes...." Note: Informal translation by the CICC. v. "Brazil president declines seat next to Sudan's Bashir in Qatar," Sudan Tribune, 1 April 2009, http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article30730 "The Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva refused to sit next to his Sudanese counterpart Omer Hassan Al-Bashir during a lunch banquet in Arab Gulf state of Qatar, a newspaper reported today. Both leaders were present for the 2nd annual summit for Arab and South American states held in Doha yesterday. The Brazilian 'O Globo' newspaper said that da Silva was told that he would be sitting next to Bashir and the Somali president Sharif Ahmed. The newspaper said that the Brazilian leader 'ate only the appetizer, and to see the arrival of the President of Sudan, which was delayed, stood up, greeted him [Bashir] briefly and left saying he had an appointment'. The Brazilian foreign ministry claimed that 'no words were even exchanged' between Bashir and Da Silva, the newspaper said. The Arab-Latin states summit yesterday avoided taking any position on the International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against Al-Bashir. It was reported that the South American states have refused to add language to the final declaration adopted by the summit rejecting the ICC arrest warrant or expressing support for Sudan against threats to its sovereignty and territorial integrity...." vi. "Arab-South America summit ends with declaration," Xinhua Net, 31 March 2009, http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-04/01/content_11109530.htm "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. The declaration covers such major issues as the Palestinian-Israeli peace, the situation in Iraq, the Sudan issue, the fight against terrorism, international cooperation and response to the ongoing global financial crisis. .... 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 also: "Arab-South America summit refuse to back Sudan's Bashir on ICC warrant," 31 March 2009, http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article30722 II. VENEZUELA- BRAZIL: INTERVIEWS WITH AL BASHIR i. "We reject imperialist policies in our region", TeleSur, 1 April 2009, http://www.telesurtv.net/noticias/entrev-reportajes/index.php?ckl=222 "TeleSur interviewed with Al-Bashir, who has the support of the Darfuri people, of the Arab States and of Latin America, mostly after the statement [delivered] by the Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez. The President of the Sudan, Omar Al-Bashir, expressed this Wednesday his rejection to the imperialists policies in South Africa and in the rest of the world, after the issuance of an arrest warrant against him by the International Criminal Court (ICC)- being accused of alleged crimes against humanity. ... QUESTION: What is your position before the decision of the ICC, which has ordered your detention for your alleged involvement in crimes against humanity in the context of the situation in Darfur, where human rights organisations have denounced more than 300,000 people were killed and more than 2 million were displaced....? AL-BASHIR: The subject [you mention Darfur] is artificial [made up]. It's a question of domination, of [a] colonization that affected the center of the Sudan, and after we signed the peace [deal], the colonization forces moved [towards] Darfur and took advantage of a very small internal conflict, and they turned it into a conflict against the whole country. They made all the mass media say that the Darfur situation was a big issue. We think that when somebody is planning a coup d'etat in any country, the country has the right to solve that problem in order to establish peace. And also, whenever there's an armed conflict, people have to seek for secure places. We found that the Darfuri citizens, when they escaped from the conflicted areas, they went to controlled zones.... controlled by the government and now all the IDP camps are located in the main cities, where the armed forces are the police and [internal] security [forces]. It is not possible that a citizen who is [allegedly] escaping seeking for security, goes to a place where [people are saying] they are getting killed. The imperialists made up the news of the deaths and now we are defying them and proving that those numbers are not real, nor the number of the displaced. We know that the objective of all this is Sudan, because we have always confronted the colonization threats, we were always against the aggression to Iraq, we are against [the subject] in Afghanistan and against what is currently happening in Somalia and Palestine. We are in disagreement with the aggressions and the colonist's policy of Irsael in Palestine and we had a great support of Lebanon and we support Hamas. American companies were granted with the Sudanese oil and we expelled those companies, and that annoyed the imperialist's countries and that is the reason why they are targeting Sudan. That is the reason why I say that the order issued by the ICC is against the Sudan, because we see that all the Sudanese people rejected the warrant and especially, the darfuri people. QUESTION: What is behind [the ICC] decision? What do you think? AL-BASHIR: The imperialist's forces say that the current [Sudanese] government is an obstacle, so this is an attempt to put Sudan under pressure to change its [internal] policy towards the imperialist's countries and to stop our attempts to strengthen the internal movements and policies in the Sudan. They thought that, when the arrest warrant was issued, all the people were going to stand against the government but we found out that the people stood up for the national governemnt. ...QUESTION: Do you think the ICC will lift the warrant? AL-BASHIR: We believe that it's not possible because France, UK and USA have the right to vetoe at the UNSC, and it's not a trustworthy institution and it's an American instrument, but we trust China and Russia and the NAM...." NOTE: Informal translation by the CICC. ii. "Presidente do Sudão diz que conta com apoio do Brasil," Estadao (Brazil), 30 March 2009, http://www.estadao.com.br/noticias/internacional,presidente-do-sudao-quer-apoio-do-brasil,347022,0.htm "Sudan wants the support of South American countries, especially of Brazil' in order to 'defeat the colonianism.' This was stated by the President of the Sudan, Omar Hassan Al-Bashir in an exclusive interview, by email....Bashir, who arrived yesterday in Doha for Arab League Summit, was accused by ICC of war crimes in Darfur. In the first interview to a foreign media since his indictment, however, he did not answer to some questions. [QUESTION] Why did the war begin Darfur? [AL-BASHIR] The [main] reason for conflicts in the African continent, Darfur is not exception to this, is not the lack of development or the fight for the water or natural resources, but the fight between tribes for lands.... [QUESTION] How do you evaluate your indictment with the ICC? [AL-BASHIR] The treaty of the ICC provides the complementarity principle and not the substition of local justice. We have that to add, however, that Sudan is not member to the ICC. The government is trying to reach peace in Darfur and signed the agreement of Abuja, on 5 May 2006. Since then, in Darfur other factions appeared....Powerful countries had sent awful messages, instead of supporting the initiative of the government.... [QUESTION] What do you expect- in terms of Darfur- from the meeting between the Arab League and South American countries? [AL-BASHIR] Several positions of support have been expressed in differente resolutions by NAM, Group of the 77, Arab League, African Union and Organization of the Islamic Conference. Influential and 'big' countries such as China, Russia, many Asian countries, and Southamerican countries as well expressed support. This is an example that the decision that will come out of this meeting will be to help our people and by supporting Sudan, [the different countries] defeat of the colonialism that keeps our citizens oppresed." NOTE: Informal translation by the CICC. III. AL-BASHIR VISITS SAUDI ARABIA i. "President Al-Bashir arrives in Jeddah to perform Umrah Rituals," SMC, 1 April 2009, http://english.smc.sd/enmain/entopic/?artID=16885 "President of the Republic Omer Al-Bashir and his accompanying delegation arrived to kingdom of Saudi Arabia today to perform Umrah rituals. ..... His Excellency was arrived in the Qatari capital Doha on Monday to participate in the Arab Summit and Arab Latin, which have expressed solidarity with Sudan against the Criminal Court and the double standard policies. It should be noted that the president''s visit to the Kingdom is the fifth out of the country since the issuance of the memorandum of International Criminal Court, where he has traveled to Eritrea, Egypt, Libya and Qatar...." ii. "Sudan's Beshir in Saudi for Mecca pilgrimage," AFP, 1 April 2009, http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jvHsBbqqTQfqe949jKKnpEByjOZA "Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir arrived in Saudi Arabia Wednesday to perform pilgrimage, in another show of defiance against an international arrest warrant for alleged war crimes, SPA news agency said. Beshir arrived in Jeddah early Wednesday to perform the umrah, or minor pilgrimage, to the Muslim holy city of Mecca, reported SPA, Saudi's official news agency. ..... Beshir took part Sunday in the Arab League summit in Doha, where he won strong support in his battle against the arrest warrant issued on March 4 by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over alleged war crimes in the vast Darfur region of western Sudan. 'We stress our solidarity with Sudan and our rejection of the ICC decision against President Omar al-Beshir,' the leaders said in their final statement, read out by Arab League chief Amr Mussa. Saudi Arabia is the fifth country Beshir has visited since the ICC issued the warrant on March 4. No attempt has been made to arrest him during any of the visits...." iii. "Sudanese president comments on continued foreign travel," Sudan Television, 31 March 2009 (link not available) "President Umar Al-Bashir, in a speech to Sudanese nationals resident in Qatar, has commented on his continued travel abroad in the face of the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant against him. He said ''When I went to Eritrea and Egypt they said he will just go nearby. But we believe in what God has pre-determined for us.'' The address was broadcast live on state-owned Sudan TV. ....Implying that the arrest warrant against him by the International Criminal Court was about oil, he said the West thought Sudanese oil was theirs to exploit, but Sudan instead 'worked with China and Malaysia and exploited it'. He further accused the ICC of inflating the number of people killed in Darfur to use words such as genocide and mass rape. He said such statements were 'mere fabrications' and part of 'a nasty media campaign against Sudan'....." See also: 1. "Bashir performs Umrah,"Arab News, 2 April 2009, http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article=121105&d=2&m=4&y=2009&pix=kingdom.jpg&category=Kingdom 2. "Sudan's Bashir returns after defiant Saudi trip," Reuters, 2 April 2009, http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSTRE5301W920090401?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews&rpc=76 ************************ 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. 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