إحتمال تأجيل المحكمه الجنائيه (الفاينانشيال تايمز)

Quote: West considers reprieve for Bashir By William Wallis in London and Peggy Hollinger in Paris Published: February 4 2011 22:30 | Last updated: February 4 2011 22:30 Sudan’s president could enjoy a year’s reprieve from war crimes charges as western governments seek to encourage his regime to consolidate peace after southerners voted last month for independence. Senior western and African officials said France and the US had agreed at an African Union summit to consider backing a deferral of the International Criminal Court’s indictment of Omar al-Bashir on war crimes and genocide charges Activist groups would oppose such a move, which could shore up Mr Bashir as other Arab autocrats totter. Police in Khartoum on Friday beat and fired tear gas at student protesters seeking to mimic the popular uprising in neighbouring Egypt. But an AU official told the Financial Time: “It is in the best interest of the international community to normalise relations with Sudan in order to have two viable states. “If this key player [Bashir] in the peace process is not to be acknowledged as such, what we see in Tunisia and Egypt could extend to Sudan as well.” Diplomats said the US was also reviewing Kenya’s request to stall an ICC case against six suspected instigators of post-election violence in 2008. However, James Steinberg, the US deputy secretary of state, said this would only be possible if a local tribunal that met international standards was in place to prosecute the cases. No one thinks this is likely soon. Washington has formally denied a shift in its position on the ICC charges against Mr Bashir. “We strongly support international efforts to bring those responsible for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes to justice,” said the state department. However, a string of diplomats said the idea was under discussion, including in Washington. Western policymakers believe that strong incentives are needed to ensure Khartoum does not derail the final stages of peace with the south and commits itself to ending a separate conflict in Darfur. Debt relief and the lifting of sanctions are also being discussed. “I have spoken with a number of western colleagues and there seems to be consensus that, if everything goes well, we must be able to work with carrots as well as sticks,” João Gomes Cravinho, Portugal’s co-operation and foreign affairs minister, told the FT. “The successful conclusion of the comprehensive peace agreement should be a moment for refounding the relationship between Khartoum and the international community.” On deferring ICC charges, Mr Cravinho acknowledged the debate but said this would not happen before south Sudan became independent in July. In Paris, the Elysée palace confirmed that France was considering support for the idea. A top official said any deferral would be conditional on a smooth transition to separation and the handing over to the Hague-based ICC of two other Sudanese indicted on war crimes charges. ICC charges cannot be quashed, but the UN Security Council can delay procedures in the interests of peace. A deferral would undermine Luis Moreno Ocampo, the Argentinian prosecutor, by stalling his most high profile case and could reinforce criticism that the ICC is used as an instrument of western policy. Mr Ocampo said he saw no likelihood of the Security Council approving the AU proposal and said it would be unconscionable to reward Mr Bashir. Appeasement in Sudan had never worked, he told the FT. “The world needs legal limits. We need a legal platform to live together. That is the ICC.” But with French and US support – and guaranteed approval from Russia and China – a deferral could get through. Britain appears so far to have been sidelined in the discussions. The Foreign Office said London was not considering deferrals in either the Kenyan or Sudanese cases.