Articles and Analysies
South Africa valuable support to Sudan by Adil Faris
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Sep 17, 2008 - 9:19:19 AM

South Africa valuable support to Sudan

The South African President Thabo Mbeki arrived in Khartoum and held talks with his Sudanese counterpart President Al-Bashir, where both sides discussed the Darfur crisis, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issue and the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA).

Khartoum welcomes the African leader as Sudan considers South Africa a symbol of the African identity and the African free and independent will.
Mbeki�s visit, after which he will fly to New York to attend the UN General Assembly meetings, is a clear indication that the man is concerned with the hot issue facing the continent�s states, among which is the Darfur crisis.
Mbeki is known for his calls to Africanize the resolution for African problems and he played several roles in this field the last of which is his positive interference in the internal crisis in Zimbabwe which culminated in power sharing.
The African issue will top the UN General Assembly agendas and the world will hear the African word very loud and clear.

Our African states are waiting eagerly for what the African leaders will say in that international forum and their declared stances in facing the challenges.
We are sure that Mbeki and his colleagues will express their clear and strong views. Africa is looking for peace to spread all over the continent and will not allow any party to hinder the process under fake international justice banners.
As for Mbeki, he is one of the first African leaders to criticize the ICC move to indict Al-Bashir despite his country�s membership in the Hague based court.
He called (UNSC) to invoke Article 16 of the Rome Statute which allows the council to suspend the ICC prosecutions in any case for a period of 12 months that can be renewed indefinitely.

On top of the African agendas in New York will be the Darfur issue and ICC targeting Sudan�s sovereignty through the ICC prosecutor general arrest warrant demand.

It is required from Mbeki and his colleagues in the black continent to declare a practical, clear and firm stance rejecting any attack over the African dignity, nations and symbols.

The African united stance against this challenge will represent the creation of a new independence for African states from both the old and the new colonial powers.