Sudan's President
Omar Hassan al-Bashir attends the second session of the two-day Arab Summit
in Damascus March 30, 2008. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo
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BRUSSELS,
July 14 (Xinhua) -- The International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor sought on
Monday the arrest of Sudan President Omar al-Bashir, charging him of war crimes,
including genocide, in Darfur.
ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo said there were
reasonable grounds to believe that al-Bashir bears criminal responsibility in
relation to 10 counts of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
"Al-Bashir masterminded and implemented a plan to
destroy in substantial part the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa groups, on account of
their ethnicity," the prosecutor claimed, adding members of the three groups
were historically influential in Darfur and engaged in a rebellion for fear of
marginalization.
The prosecution also charged al-Bashir with crimes
against humanity and war crimes including murder, extermination, forcible
transfer of civilians, torture and rape.
A pre-trial chamber of the Hague-based court would
now review the evidence provided by the prosecutor to decide whether to pursue
the case and how to bring al-Bashir to court, which may take at least six weeks.
The prosecutor said he had requested an arrest
warrant, in addition to seizure of al-Bashir's property and freeze of his
assets.
It was the first time that the Hague-based ICC was
asked to charge a sitting head of state, a move decried by Khartoum as
undermining peace efforts in the region.
The Sudanese government reiterated on Sunday that it
does not recognize the ICC and would refuse any decision or memorandum delivered
by the court.
The ICC prosecutor has so far issued arrest warrants
for two Sudanese suspects for their alleged commitment of war crimes and crimes
against humanity in Darfur, namely the former Interior Minister and current
Humanitarian Affairs Minister Ahmad Harun anda former militia leader Ali
Kushayb.
Both accused remain fugitives of the ICC with the
Sudanese government refusing to recognize the court's jurisdiction over its own
nationals.
Sudan is not a party to the Rome Treaty establishing
the ICC, the world's first permanent war crimes tribunal to try persons accused
of the most serious crimes of international concern, namely genocide, crimes
against humanity and war crimes.
But the UN Security Council decided in March 2005 to
refer the Darfur situation to the ICC, a decision opposed by Sudan, which
insisted on its own prosecution.
In an interview published Monday by the French
newspaper Le Figaro, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he was
"very worried" about the possible move by the ICC, adding it would have very
serious consequences for peacekeeping operations.
Some Sudanese officials also warned the ICC move
against its top officials could undermine attempt to end the conflict in Darfur.
Thousands of Sudanese, chanting slogans against the
United States and the ICC, marched in Khartoum Sunday to show their anger at the
move.
Sudanese officials said Khartoum would demand support
from countries like Russia and African nations in the UN to foil the ICC move.
At the request of Sudan, the Arab League said Monday
it would hold an emergency meeting on the disputes between Sudan and the ICC on
Wednesday.
