CAIRO: Sudan has been a victim of international conspiracies for the last 20 years, Sudanese ambassador to Egypt said Friday in reference to the International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant issued for the Sudanese president.
The ICC’s decision to arrest President Omar Al Beshir for committing crimes against humanity is a serious development in international relations and politicizing justice that targets Sudan in its president and authority, ambassador Abdel Moniem Mabrouk said in a conference held in solidarity with Sudan.
They wanted to achieve what they couldn t do through military force and economic blockade, overlooking international laws and conventions, he added.
These conspiracies target Sudan’s administration, integrity, unity and isolate it from its Arab, African and Muslim allies, in spite of the strides the country has taken in the realm of development, the ambassador explained.
The Security Council issued 20 resolutions concerning Sudan in just five years . This number sparks questions about international legitimacy and . hidden agendas, he added.
The United Nations says up to 300,000 people have died since conflict broke out in Darfur in 2003, when ethnic minority rebels took up arms against the Arab-dominated regime for a greater share of resources and power.
A ceasefire has been agreed between the government and opposition groups but deadly clashes go on in the western region.
The ICC prosecutor says 2.7 million people have been uprooted from their homes, of whom 100,000 died of causes related to their displacement, such as starvation.
Mabrouk stresses that the warrant is an attempt to counterfeit the truth, explaining that Darfur has always witnessed tribal conflicts over water resources but it doesn’t threaten world peace. This conflict, he added, is used as an entrance point to destabilize Sudan.
African and poor countries are being subject of a new colonial assault under the bright banners of human rights neglecting the interests of these countries in an imbalanced world; we either surrender or defy, Mabrook said.
In Sudan we chose to resist, he added.
The conference, entitled Sudanese and Egyptian National Security, was organized Friday by the Egyptian Organization for Human Development at Suzanne Mubarak Library with the participation of representatives of the Egyptian foreign ministry, parliament, Sudanese organizations and a number of analysts.
Egypt launched many development and reconstruction projects in southern Sudan in the fields of health, education and power. We also have a significant participation in the UNAMID peace keeping forces in Darfur, said Mohamed Kasem, representative of Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit.
He said that Egyptian investments in Sudan jumped from $1 million in 2001 to $750 million in 2006.
These projects are in the interest of all the Sudanese people as it will help southern Sudanese adopt the choice of unity during the coming referendum to decide their fate in 2011, he said.
Legal warrant?Kamal Hassan Ali, head of Sudanese National Conference in Cairo, said that the case shouldn t be put in legal context as if it was a crime.
It is a western strategy to reform the Middle East and Sudan is at the heart of this strategy, he said. They found that president Omar Al-Beshir would be a hurdle in their plans, so they decided to get rid of him. They expected that chaos will take place and even maybe a military coup d état, he continued, saying there is unanimous support for Al-Beshir inside Sudan at the moment.
He added that Sudan is closely coordinating with the Arab League, African Union and other allies, including China and Russia, to counter the decision.
Sameh Ashour, vice president of the International Lawyers’ Union and president of Arab Lawyers’ Union, said the warrant ignored the international law.
The presidential immunity prevents such a decision from taking place, he explained. “Second, Sudan isn t a member of the Rome Statute [of the ICC] so they can t force their decision on it. And Sudan has formed national courts to persecute those responsible for what happened in Darfur, which prevents the ICC from intervention according to its own laws, Ashour said.
The decision contradicts with the principles of international justice, said Saad Al-Gamaal, head of the Arab affairs and national security affairs committee at the People’s Assembly. “When the ICC was formed by the Rome Statute in 2000, it had the complete independence from Security Council but in this case they took the request for Al-Beshir s trial directly from them.
Why didn t they do anything toward the massacres that took place in Gaza and Iraq, added the MP.
Ashour blamed Arab and African nations for not accepting membership in the court saying they would have had a strong voice in it changing its structure in a way that would prevent decisions like this.
Support vs. oppositionAbdallah Al-Ashaal, former foreign minister deputy and expert in international relations, criticized the Sudanese opposition for not differentiating between the higher interest of the country and their opposition to the regime, accusing them of being one of the factors that lead to the crisis .
He also criticized Egyptian human rights groups for supporting the decision as they didn t realize that it is a conspiracy against Egypt.
For Egypt, it is a life or death issue; after cutting connections between Egypt and Syria and Iraq, Israel has turned to Sudan, moving the Arab-Israeli conflict to another arena, he said.
Any government must take the necessary measures to preserve order in the country in the face of any rebel attempts and if any other country had a similar situation it would have crushed the rebellions like what is happening in the Basque province in Spain, Al Ashaal said.
Sudan now must resort to the International Court of Justice for its good reputation and file a complaint against the ICC for violating international laws and against Luis Moreno Ocampo, ICC chief prosecutor, to the UN secretary general for abusing the duties of his job, he added.
Al-Ashaal also called for moving the next Arab League summit from Doha to Sudan to demonstrate solidarity with Sudan and not to risk the safety of President Al=Beshir.
If the international community found strong solidarity and support with Al Beshir, they may reconsider the ICC decision, he said.
However, he didn t rule out the possibility of international military intervention in Sudan.
Al Gamal said that when he visited Darfur he found more than 46 foreign organizations, some of them had dubious roles more than humanitarian aid.
Al-Beshir was heavily criticized for expelling numerous aid groups from Sudan after the warrant was issued.
A delegation of Egyptian intellectuals is scheduled to visit Sudan this month to express their solidarity with the Sudanese government.
