Sudan: Boycott of the EU-AU summit

By on November 30, 2010

For the third time since 2000, the African countries and members of the European Union are meeting in Tripoli, but Sudan is not participating in the summit at any level. Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Ahmad Karti was quoted as saying Mr. Bashir decided not to attend the summit in order to avoid embarrassing Libya, and that no other Sudanese official would be sent to replace him.

The president will not go because of the EU position, and because President Omar Al Bashir was indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for war crimes, thereby isolating Sudan and restricting the movements of its supreme authority only to friendly countries in the region. Last Saturday, former South African President, Thabo Mbeki, had said, after talks with Al Bashir and the president of autonomous southern Sudan, Salva Kiir, that the Sudanese President will attend on Monday and Tuesday the African Union- European Union summit. Libya has not signed the ICC treaty and will never attempt or be required to arrest Al Bashir if ever the head of the Sudanese state is on its territory. The Heads of States of the African Union have decided last year not to cooperate with the ICC, and Al-Bashir went to Kenya and Chad, two countries that have signed the treaty, without being disturbed. Last year, a Franco-African summit was postponed and rescheduled from Egypt to France. The latter had insisted on the non-participation of Al Bachir, but Cairo had rejected the proposition.

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