Sudan warns of dangers if President charged

THE HAGUE  - International Criminal Court prosecutors will seek the arrest of Sudan President Omar al-Beshir for war crimes in Darfur, it emerged Friday, prompting Khartoum to warn that any move by the ICC to charge the President could "destroy" the stalled Darfur peace process.

The United States warned Khartoum Friday against any possible retaliation against UN peacekeepers in Darfur. It also confirmed that ICC prosecutors were to seek an arrest warrant for Beshir when new evidence is unveiled on Monday.

"I understand that the prosecutor intends to go before a panel of judges to present information and request for a warrant," US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters in Washington, confirming newspaper reports that Beshir would be targeted.

It would mark the first-ever bid before the independent court, based in The Hague, to charge a sitting head of state with war crimes. Some UN officials feared the move to haul up Beshir could complicate the peace process in Darfur and trigger a military response by Sudanese forces or their proxies against UN and African Union peacekeepers.

McCormack warned Sudan against taking any such action, saying even though the US was not part of the ICC, it was "strongly committed" to international obligations.

The Sudanese government responded angrily to the news.

"If there is a decision about President Beshir, it may destroy the peace process," Sudan's state minister for foreign affairs Al-Samani al-Wasila told AFP.

"In this situation, Sudan will never co-operate with the ICC," he added. A senior member of Beshir's political party accused the court of waging a hidden agenda to bring down the Sudanese regime. "This is political and with its hidden agenda, it (the ICC) moves to destroy the regime.... and intends to complicate the Darfur crisis," said NCP political-security official Mandur al-Mahadi. Presidential advisor Mahjoub Fadl Badri said that any move on Beshir would be "meaningless." "We are not a member of the ICC and it has no right to judge any Sudanese. This is our situation and it will never change," he told AFP.

ICC chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo's office announced Thursday that he would unveil a new case on Darfur and name suspects on Monday. It said the case would cover "crimes committed in the whole of Darfur over the last five years".

But a spokeswoman refused Friday to confirm that a warrant would be sought for Beshir.

"The prosecutor will make his announcement before a judge of the court on Monday, and we will not give details to the press until after," she said.

The Washington Post said some UN officials feared the ICC prosecutor's move could complicate the peace process in Darfur and trigger a military response by Sudanese forces or their proxies against United Nations and African Union peacekeepers.

Sudan's UN Ambassador Abdalmahmood Abdalhaleem Muhammad warned the newspaper of "grave repercussions" if Beshir was indicted.

"Ocampo is playing with fire," the Ambassador said. "If the United Nations is serious about its engagement with Sudan, it should tell this man to suspend what he is doing with this so-called indictment."

According to the Washington Post, representatives of the UN Security Council's five permanent members - China, Britain, the United States, France and Russia - met UN officials Thursday on the safety of Darfur peacekeepers in the wake of the attack.