Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir
arrives at the airport in the capital Khartoum, March 23, 2009. Sudanese
president paid on Monday an unannounced visit to Eritrea, which was the
first visit for al-Bashir abroad since the International Criminal Court
(ICC) issued an arrest warrant against him earlier this
month. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>
KHARTOUM, March 23 (Xinhua) -- Sudanese President
Omer al-Bashir paid on Monday an unannounced visit to Eritrea, which was the
first visit for al-Bashir abroad since the International Criminal Court (ICC)
issued an arrest warrant against him earlier this month.
Sudanese officials see an important meaning for the
visit although it lasted only for several hours, in view of great dangers for
the Sudanese president to leave his country after the issuance of the ICC arrest
warrant.
The visit showed that the ICC indictment would not
restrict al-Bashir to implement his constitutional duties as the head of a state
and travel at any place inside or outside his country, the Sudanese officials
noted.
Kamal Obeid, the minister of state at the Sudanese
Ministry of Information, reiterated to reporters at the Khartoum Airport as the
special aircraft of the Sudanese president was landing from a tour in the
Eritrean capital Asmara "we do not recognize the International Criminal Court,
and therefore we will not recognize the consequences of any decision it has
taken."
He denied that al-Bashir's visit to Eritrea was
"surprising and secret."
"Of course, this visit was not surprising because it
came in response to an invitation sent by the Eritrean president, and was not
secret because the president's plane could not take off from Khartoum airport
and fly to another airport without informing the parties concerned," the
Sudanese official noted.
"The visit was normal under the regular program of
the president of the Sudanese Republic," he added.
Mahjoub Fadel, the Sudanese presidential press
adviser, noted that the visit demonstrated that the Sudanese state institutions
could secure the visits of the president, and that the president could
constitutionally function as usual.
He described al-Bashir's visit to Asmara as "a key
for forming a broad front to counteract the western organizations which have
become a sword hanging over Africa's neck."
Sudan's president Omar Hassan al-Bashir
(L) addresses a news conference as his Eritrean counterpart Isaias Afwerki
(R) looks on in Asmara, March 23, 2009. (Xinhua/Reuters
Photo) Photo
Gallery>>>
At a joint press conference which the Sudanese
president held with his Eritrean counterpart at the end of the talks in Asmera,
al-Bashir ruled out the impact of the ICC arrest warrant on his movements inside
or outside his country, the state-run SUNA news agency reported.
"The decisions of the ICC will not affect our
movements inside or outside Sudan and the decisions will only be ink on papers,"
al-Bashir said
The Sudanese president said that the visit came at
the invitation of President Afewerki to show the positions of Eritrean
supporting Sudan and to make sure that it stands with Sudan in the same trench.
Eritrean President Afewerki, on his part, reiterated
his government's refusal of the ICC decision, according to the SUNA report,
terming the decision as a political one aiming at undermining the security and
stability in Sudan and complicating the Darfur issue.
"Our problems on the African continent are imposed
from the outside," the Eritrean president said, stressing the capacity of the
African leaders to overcome these challenges.
It had not been expected that the Sudanese president
would fly out of the Sudanese territorial sky especially in light of a mounting
public rejection of the Sudanese political and religious circles for al-Bashir's
travel abroad.
A fatwa (religious advice) issued by a powerful
council of the Sunni religious advisories said that it was not legitimate for
al-Bashir to leave his country in view of the effects of the ICC proceedings.
Local observers said that the sudden visit of
al-Bashir to Eritrea aimed at delivering a message to the international
community that the ICC arrest warrant would not limit the activities the
Sudanese president outside his country.
The Sudanese capital Khartoum has in the past two
days witnessed protests and demonstrations calling on President al-Bashir to
cancel travels abroad, including his plan to attend the annual Arab summit
scheduled in Doha at the end of this month.
The Sudanese authorities had indicated that it had
not taken a final decision so far on the participation of President al-Bashir in
the Doha summit, and said that the matter was subject to careful consideration
by a commission which was formed for this purpose.
NYALA, Sudan, March 18 (Xinhua) -- Sudanese President Omer
al-Bashir stressed on Wednesday his full commitment to realizing security,
stability and development in the western Sudanese region of Darfur.
He made the remarks when addressing a rally of local
residents at the Sabdo area in South Darfur State during his second visit to the
restive region since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest
warrant against him on March 4. Full story
MOGADISHU, March 16 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds of people, mostly
students, Monday rallied in the Somali capital Mogadishu in support of the
Sudanese President Omar Hassan El-Bashir who was indicted by the International
Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged crimes committed in Darfur.
Speakers at the demonstration against the ICC
described the arrest warrant on the Sudanese president as unjust and uncalled
for. Full story
KHARTOUM, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The Organization of Islamic
Conference (OIC) stressed on Saturday its solidarity with Sudan in spite of an
arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Sudanese
President Omar al-Bashir.
This came in a press statement made by OIC Secretary
General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu following his meeting with the Sudanese
president. Full story
