EU Criticizes Djibouti for Receiving Bashir

14 May 2011

Washington — The European Union (EU) top official on Saturday expressed concern over Djibouti’s decision to allow Sudanese president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir to visit despite the country being a member of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Bashir attended the swearing in ceremony of Djibouti’s Ismail Omar Guelleh last weekend. This is his third visit to a country that is a signatory to the Rome Statute.

The Sudanese leader is wanted by the Hague tribunal on charges of war crimes and genocide he allegedly masterminded in Darfur.

African and Arab regional organizations have rallied behind Bashir and vowed not to cooperate with the court in apprehending him. However, Bashir was forced to miss several events since the warrant for fears of being arrested and because of international pressure on countries that have been willing to host him.

“The High Representative is concerned by the visit of President Omar Al-Bashir to Djibouti, a State party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC). She firmly recalls the importance of all Member States of the United Nations abiding by and implementing the resolutions adopted by the Security Council under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, in this case, UNSCR 1593(2005). She urges Djibouti to respect its obligations under international law to arrest and surrender those indicted by the ICC” said a statement by spokesperson of EU High Representative Catherine Ashton.

“The European Union is a staunch supporter of the ICC as a valuable instrument of the international community to combat impunity for the most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole; genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes must not go unpunished and their prosecution must be ensured by measures at both domestic and international levels”

The ICC judges ordered the court’s registrar this week to inform the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) about Djibouti’s failure to arrest Bashir in order to take any action it deemed appropriate.

But diplomats at the UNSC said it is unlikely that the council would take any action.

AllAfrica – All the Time