NAIROBI: Former UN chief Kofi Annan said Sunday Kenya should clarify its position on the International Criminal Court after it last week hosted Sudan’s Omar al-Bashir, wanted for genocide.
"Like many, I was surprised by the presence of President Al-Bashir of Sudan in Nairobi for the promulgation of Kenya’s new constitution," Annan said in a statement in his capacity as chair of the Panel of Eminent African Personalities.
"Kenya has specific obligations as a signatory of the Rome statute and is also cooperating with the International Criminal Court on investigations relating to the 2007/8 election violence," said the text issued in Nairobi.
"In the circumstances, the government should clarify its position and reaffirm its cooperation with and commitment to the ICC," said Annan, whose team brokered a power-sharing deal between Kenyan President Mwai Kabaki and his former foe turned Prime Minister Raila Odinga after the 2008 violence.
Kenya on Friday defended its invitation to Bashir despite his indictment by the International Criminal Court for genocide and war crimes.
"President Bashir was here today because he was invited by the government," Foreign Affairs Minister Moses Wetangula told reporters.
"We invited all neighbours and he is a neighbour," Wetangula said.
"There are no apologies to make about anybody we invited … because I am sure we are enhancing peace and security and stability of this region more than anything else," he added.
The post-election violence, in which some 1,500 people were killed, was Kenya’s worst since independence and seriously tarnished the country’s image.
