The UN Security Council adopted on Thursday a resolution referring alleged perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sudan's conflict-wracked west region, Darfur, to the International Criminal Court (ICC), after the United States chose to abstain. (Photo: Xinhua/AFP)

    UNITED NATIONS, March 31 (Xinhuanet) -- The UN Security Council adopted on Thursday a resolution referring alleged perpetrators of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sudan's conflict-wracked west region, Darfur, to the International Criminal Court (ICC), after the United States chose to abstain.

    After lengthy negotiations which ran into late night, the 15-nation council passed the British-tabled measure in a vote of 11-0, with China, the United States, Brazil and Algeria abstaining.

    Under the resolution, war crimes and crimes against humanity taking place in Darfur since July 1, 2002, will be dealt with by the ICC. But the ICC will not start investigation or prosecution within one year after the adoption of the resolution.

    The United States, a strong opponent to the ICC, had objected to the referral of crimes in Darfur to the tribunal, based in The Hague, Netherlands. Instead, it proposed setting up a new court to try Darfur suspects.

    The court is the world's first permanent tribunal, which has the right to try suspects of war crimes and crimes against humanity when a government is unable or unwilling to do so.

    To avert a US veto, Britain took the sponsorship of an earlier draft introduced by France and amended it to accord Americans working with the UN-authorized operations in Sudan with immunity from prosecution by the ICC.

    The resolution stipulated that personnel from states which are not a party to the Rome Statute of the ICC shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of their own governments for all alleged acts in Sudan.

    It called on the Sudanese government and all other parties to the Darfur conflict to cooperate fully with the ICC.

    The United Nations will not bear the cost for prosecuting Darfur suspects, which will go to the parties of the Rome Statute.

    Among the 15 council members, only the United States and China are not parties to the ICC's Rome Statute.

    In a statement issued through his spokesman, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan hailed the resolution, saying it provided "an appropriate mechanism to lift the veil of impunity that has allowed human rights crimes in Darfur to continue unchecked."

    Stressing lasting peace in Darfur can "only be based on a negotiated settlement," he urged Khartoum and rebels in Darfur to return to negotiations in Abuja, the Nigerian capital.

    The resolution was the third approved in one week by the council on Sudan. The first, passed on March 24, authorized the deployment of a 10,000-strong peacekeeping force in southern Sudan,while the second imposed a travel ban and an assets freeze on Darfur suspects.

    The Darfur conflict erupted in February 2003 after the Sudan Liberation Army and the Movement of Equality and Justice took arms against the government. It has left tens of thousands of people dead and millions of others displaced. Enditem