Beshir vows Sudan elections on time

1 hour ago

KHARTOUM (AFP) — Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir on Sunday stepped up his diplomatic campaign to avert a possible international arrest warrant over crimes in Darfur by vowing that elections would go ahead on time.

Addressing African and Arab trade unionists, who crowded a Khartoum hall to express their support, Beshir delivered a stern speech outlining four policies in response to a request from the world court's prosecutor for his arrest.

On July 14, he became the first head of state accused by International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo, who cited 10 counts of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in Darfur.

"We would like to reiterate our confidence in our national courts and justice, and all the institutions of our government," said Beshir.

"We would like to affirm our striving for a political solution of the Darfur problem," he said before pledging to continue development and rehabilitation programmes.

"We shall also go on with the democratic process and start the elections on its date," said Beshir, who then thanked unionists for their cheering rally of speeches and music.

With Beshir seated on a sludge-colour platform before an audience of army officers, trade unionists and diplomats, supporters packed to the rafters interrupted speeches to shout "God is Great" and "Down, Down USA."

Beshir grinned and punched the air in time to nationalistic music, while his own speech was delayed for several minutes by a woman reciting a poem and castigating Darfur rebel leaders who rose up against Khartoum in 2003.

The ICC prosecutor has accused Beshir of allegedly ordering his forces to annihilate three non-Arab groups in Darfur, masterminding murder, torture, pillaging and using rape to commit genocide.

According to the United Nations, up to 300,000 people have died and more than 2.2 million have fled their homes since the conflict erupted in February 2003. Sudan says 10,000 have been killed.

The war began when African ethnic minority rebels took up arms against the Arab-dominated Khartoum regime and state-backed Arab militias, fighting for resources and power in one of the most remote and deprived places on earth.

Far from the angry reprisals that some predicted against UN peacekeepers in Darfur or mass demonstrations, the regime has waged a diplomatic offensive to persuade the UN Security Council to freeze any possible legal proceedings.

ICC judges are likely to take until at least mid-September to announce a decision on whether to formally issue a warrant for Beshir's arrest.

Beshir has already made repeated promises of working for peace in Darfur since the ICC prosecutor's accusations, but Sunday was the first time he himself referred to the elections going ahead on time.

Many analysts have argued that any ICC arrest warrant would see Beshir doing everything possible to hold onto power, jeopardising a peace agreement between north and south Sudan from 2005, which ended the longest civil war in Africa.

Sudan's new electoral law grants women 25 percent of seats in parliament and introduces proportional representation in what has been billed as a road towards democratic transformation.

But massive delays have hindered preparations for the ballot and an independent electoral commission, which should be in place this month, has not yet been appointed.

Beshir seized power in a 1989 Islamist-backed coup that overthrew the democratically elected government.

Beshir's expression of confidence in the Sudanese justice came as Justice Minister Abdul Basit Sabdarat appeared not to rule out incorporating laws dealing with war crimes and crimes against humanity into the legislation.

The comments were made in an interview published in Al-Rai Al-Aam newspaper on Sunday.

Despite past promises, credible trials in Sudan for alleged rights abuses in Darfur -- which would see the ICC drop its charges -- have failed to emerge.

On Monday, Beshir is to meet Jean Ping, the head of the African Union that has petitioned the Security Council to delay any possible ICC proceedings.

In renewing the mandate of UN-led peacekeeping troops in Darfur last week, the Council approved a text that included compromise language noting concern that any indictment of Beshir might jeopardise peace efforts.