African leaders tackle continent’s challenges
SIRTE, Libya — Africa’s leaders were locked in a heated debate Thursday over a draft African Union summit decision that would give Sudan’s president continent-wide impunity from prosecution for war crimes by the International Criminal Court.
African officials said the surprise new draft was circulated by Libya, which is hosting the 13th African Union summit of heads of state in the coastal town of Sirte, east of the capital, Tripoli.
The draft obtained by The AP says the African Union “deeply regrets” that the United Nations ignored its previous demand for the ICC in The Hague to postpone its arrest warrant against Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for crimes in Darfur.
Therefore, it says, AU countries “shall not cooperate” with the ICC “for the arrest and surrender of African indicted personalities.”
If adopted, the common ruling could be a powerful blow to prosecuting African officials for war crimes.
Heads of states at AU summits reach their decisions behind closed doors and by consensus, not by vote. It was not clear if the new measure would be approved Thursday.
Several African leaders appeared to strongly resist the draft decision.
“Certainly that’s not the position that we take,” Ghana’s Foreign Minister Muhammad Mumuni told reporters.
“For us in Ghana there is absolutely no equivocation at all about our acceptance and respect for the jurisdiction, the integrity and high honor of dignity of the ICC,” he said.
Mumuni added that Ghana supports the AU’s call to postpone the “ill-timed” ICC warrant against al-Bashir, which he said imperiled peace efforts in Sudan and could create “a huge power vacuum.”
Ghana is among 30 African countries that are party to the international court. Reed Brody, a spokesman for Human Rights Watch, said the draft decision “basically orders them to flout their legal obligations.”
The draft appeared to contradict assurances by the AU’s executive chairman, Jean Ping, that the African Union would not reach hard decisions against the ICC. Ping said Wednesday that the AU would certainly not reach “dramatic or binding conclusions” for African countries who are party to the ICC.
“Though it is true that African heads of state are tired of being the only ones targeted” by the court, Ping said.
Human Rights Watch’s Brody said it was unclear whether the draft would be passed.
“The question is whether Libya will be heavy handed” in pushing the decision through, he said on the sidelines of the summit.
Libya was one the first countries to ignore the ICC and host al-Bashir despite the international warrant against him issued in March. Al-Bashir is accused by the ICC prosecution of war crimes and crimes against humanity for masterminding Sudanese government violence that has led to the death of some 300,000 people in Darfur since 2003.
Sudan’s acting Foreign Minister, El Samany El Wasila, hailed the new AU draft.
“I think it will be adopted, it will be Africa’s confirmation that the ICC is politically motivated and should be ignored,” El Samany El Wasila told The Associated Press.
El Wasila said the international court had proved it was biased by only acting against Africans “while it ignores Israel for Gaza or (former U.S. President George W.) Bush for Iraq.”
Other issues at the summit included improving security across Africa and fighting piracy and civil war in Somalia. Libya, meanwhile, was spearheading a drive to lay the groundwork for an eventual United States of Africa.
Heads of state are to consider a decision to change the AU executive bodies from a “Commission” into an “Authority.” The goal is to simplify the African Union and extend its powers over foreign affairs, the economy and defense as a buildup for what Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi ultimately envisions as a common federal government for Africa.
But some of the continent’s wealthier nations, led by Nigeria and South Africa, appear to be resisting the move. African diplomats say there are worries the new structure could become overbearing.
There is a need to continue “building consensus on a very important matter like that,” said Ghana’s Mumuni.
A Libyan official, who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue, said Gadhafi stormed out of the conference room at one point because other leaders didn’t follow his views. After returning, he told his African counterparts they must reach a decision on the AU Authority before the summit ends, the official said.
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