CAPE TOWN, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) -- The South African government has been given a new deadline to explain to the International Criminal Court (ICC) why it failed to arrest Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir while he was in South Africa in June, government sources confirmed on Saturday.
The ICC set December 31 as the new deadline for South Africa to submit its explanation, the sources said on condition of anonymity.
The SA government had asked the ICC to extend the time period for South Africa to explain why al-Bashir left South Africa without being arrested despite an ICC arrest warrant.
Under the ICC warrant, South Africa, a signatory to the Rome Statute which created the ICC, should arrest al-Bashir when he was attending the 25th African Union (AU) summit in Johannesburg in mid-June this year.
The ICC has two arrest warants on al-Bashir on charges for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur, South Sudan.
South Africa's refusal to arrest al-Bashir highlighted the fact that in addition to complying with its obligations to the ICC, the country has obligations to the AU, which rules that no organization can arrest any sitting head of state in African countries.
South Africa also argued that it had no right to arrest al-Bashir who came to SA as a guest of the AU.
Last Sunday, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) announced its decision to withdraw South Africa's membership from the ICC.
This decision was made at a meeting of the ANC National General Council (NGC) in Midrand, Johannesburg.
"The NGC has just resolved that South Africa should withdraw from the International Criminal Court. However, only after we have followed certain processes,"said Obed Bapela, Head of the ANC's International Relations Commission.
The decision was made due to the fact that the ICC has lost its direction and is no longer pursuing its guiding principle, Bapela said.
The ANC has voiced concern about selective application of law by the ICC which it says targets only "Africans".
Legal experts say it would not be easy for SA to withdraw from the ICC as the process is complicated and long.
