Abdalmahmood Abdalhaleem Mohamad, Sudan's ambassador to the United Nations, briefed the press at UN headquarters in New York today regarding the International Criminal Court's (ICC) indictment of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.
Ambassador Mohamad repeatedly denounced the indictment by ICC chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo, and rejected "in the strongest possible terms" the charges of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.
The ambassador strongly asserted that "we do not recognize the authority of the ICC" and that "we consider this move as an affront" to the sovereignty to Sudan. He also claimed that the charges are politically motivated, stating "[Ocampo] only wants to settle political scores." When pressed on what specific political "scores" motivate Ocampo, ambassador Mohamed quickly changed the subject.
Regarding resolution of the Darfur crisis, the ambassador stated, "Darfur problems better be addressed by the Sudanese" and that international support should be "complimentary" to the efforts of the Sudanese government.
Ambassador Mohamed confidently expressed that the President's travel schedule would not be interrupted, and that the ambassador would be surprised if President Bashir did not attend the United Nations annual General Assembly meeting in September.
Sudan Ambassador: ICC Indictment Will Lead to "Disasterous Consqeuences"
Ambassador Mohamad repeatedly denounced the indictment by ICC chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo, and rejected "in the strongest possible terms" the charges of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.
The ambassador strongly asserted that "we do not recognize the authority of the ICC" and that "we consider this move as an affront" to the sovereignty to Sudan. He also claimed that the charges are politically motivated, stating "[Ocampo] only wants to settle political scores." When pressed on what specific political "scores" motivate Ocampo, ambassador Mohamed quickly changed the subject.
Regarding resolution of the Darfur crisis, the ambassador stated, "Darfur problems better be addressed by the Sudanese" and that international support should be "complimentary" to the efforts of the Sudanese government.
Ambassador Mohamed confidently expressed that the President's travel schedule would not be interrupted, and that the ambassador would be surprised if President Bashir did not attend the United Nations annual General Assembly meeting in September.
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Listen to the full audio of Sudanese Ambassador to the United Nations Abdalmahmood Abdalhaleem Mohamad's statement on the indictment of President Omar al-Bashir by the ICC. (16:39)
Soudbite audio below.
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