الرئيس البشير يلغي زيارته الى ماليزيا

Quote: Sudan president's absence at LID nothing to do with ICC, says ambassador KUALA LUMPUR: Sudan President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir's decision not to attend the Langkawi International Dialogue (LID) has nothing to do with the issue of the International Criminal Court's (ICC) arrest warrant against him, said Sudan's Ambassador to Malaysia Nadir Yousif Eltayeb. Nadir said Bashir had urgent matters to attend at home which needed his personal attention and presence, such as the South Sudan development, where on July 9, there would be the emergence of Southern Sudan as the world's newest country, and also the crisis in Abyei and South Kordofan. "So it is very difficult for the president to travel at this time...he is occupied with urgent internal issues which need his personal handling, presence and monitoring," he said in an interview here Thursday. Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman said Wednesday that although the Sudanese president had earlier confirmed his attendance, he would not be able to make it because he had other pressing engagements. However, he said Sudan was sending its Foreign Minister Ali Karti to the three-day LID to be held in Putrajaya beginning Sunday. Bashir had attented the LID 2007 in Langkawi. The ICC, on March 4, 2009, issued an arrest warrant on Bashir for alleged war crimes in Darfur. Nadir said Sudan did not recognise the ICC's jurisdiction and Sudan was also not a party to the Hague-based ICC. "We believe the ICC is some sort of a neo-colonialism...and used by certain powers to impose their agenda on certain countries. It is very clear the ICC is only targeting Africa. "If the ICC is really for justice, why don't they investigate the very well documented war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine...we believe most African countries share our opinion on this," he said. Nadir pointed out that after the court's arrest warrant, the Sudanese president had travelled to countries like Eritrea, Egypt, Qatar and Libya and also ICC member countries like Chad, Djibouti and Kenya, signalling that Sudan would not bow to pressure from the ICC. "Nothing will stop the President from visiting any friendly countries...the President is free to travel to any friendly country," he said. Nadir said Sudan viewed LID as an important platform in the context of South-South cooperation and Smart Partnership. He stressed that Khartoum-Kuala Lumpur relations were strategic, adding that currently there were about 3,500 Sudanese students pursuing studies in Malaysia. "We believe some quarters are not happy with this good relations...and are trying to create misunderstanding between our brotherly nations...but we won't give them the opportunity," he said. - Bernama