ID :
52639
Sat, 03/28/2009 - 14:37
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/52639
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DARFUR: SUDAN APPRECIATES MALAYSIA'S SUPPORT
KUALA LUMPUR, March 27 (Bernama) -- Malaysia has expressed its support to the Sudanese government over the issue of the International Criminal Court's (ICC) arrest warrant on President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir for alleged war crimes in Darfur.
Sudan's Ambassador to Malaysia Nadir Yousif Eltayeb said that this was
conveyed to him by Malaysia's Foreign Ministry recently.
Nadir said Malaysia, like many African and Arab countries were supportive of
the joint initiative by the African Union (AU) and the Arab League to find a
solution to the Darfur conflict.
"We truly appreciate Malaysia's support on the ICC issue and also towards
solving the Darfur conflict," he told Bernama in an interview here, Friday.
The AU and the Arab League, backed by China and Russia, have called on the
United Nations Security Council to use its power to suspend the ICC indictment.
The AU and the Arab League feared the arrest warrant could spark more revolts
and obstruct the peace talks in the conflict zone.
Nadir also noted Malaysia's initiatives for Darfur, among others a
conference on rehabilitation of Darfur under the Organisation of Islamic
Conference (OIC).
"The conference was supposed to take place early this year but has been
postponed. We hope to have it this year," he said.
Besides this, in August 2007, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad
Badawi had said that Kuala Lumpur had submitted to Khartoum a proposal to help
the African nation resolve the Darfur conflict and also announced the
appointment of a special envoy to explain Kuala Lumpur's ideas to help resolve
the conflict.
During his visit to Sudan in April 2007, Abdullah also visited Darfur.
Nadir said 10 Sudanese from Darfur were in Malaysia since January this year
for a six month training stint in capacity building, adding that Mercy Malaysia
was also operating in Darfur focusing on healthcare.
In September last year, the Malaysian police sent seven officers and nine
personnel of other ranks on a United Nations (UN) peacekeeping mission to
Darfur. Malaysian police's first team comprising 26 people left in June.
Nadir said contrary to the allegations by certain Western countries,
President Bashir was in fact a leader who placed priority to the country's
peace and development, and had been instrumental in bringing to an end the long
war in Southern Sudan through the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and also peace
agreements in Eastern Sudan and the Darfur.
"He is a peacemaker...the people and the country are solidly behind him," he
said.
Sudan is not a party to the Hague-based ICC and did not recognise its
jurisdiction. Bashir had said the ICC's decision was "not worth the ink it is
printed on".
After the March 4th ICC decision, the Sudanese president travelled to
Eritrea, Egypt and Libya to send a strong message to some Western countries that
"it is business as usual for Sudan" and that it would not bow to pressure from
the ICC.
-- BERNAMA
Sudan's Ambassador to Malaysia Nadir Yousif Eltayeb said that this was
conveyed to him by Malaysia's Foreign Ministry recently.
Nadir said Malaysia, like many African and Arab countries were supportive of
the joint initiative by the African Union (AU) and the Arab League to find a
solution to the Darfur conflict.
"We truly appreciate Malaysia's support on the ICC issue and also towards
solving the Darfur conflict," he told Bernama in an interview here, Friday.
The AU and the Arab League, backed by China and Russia, have called on the
United Nations Security Council to use its power to suspend the ICC indictment.
The AU and the Arab League feared the arrest warrant could spark more revolts
and obstruct the peace talks in the conflict zone.
Nadir also noted Malaysia's initiatives for Darfur, among others a
conference on rehabilitation of Darfur under the Organisation of Islamic
Conference (OIC).
"The conference was supposed to take place early this year but has been
postponed. We hope to have it this year," he said.
Besides this, in August 2007, Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad
Badawi had said that Kuala Lumpur had submitted to Khartoum a proposal to help
the African nation resolve the Darfur conflict and also announced the
appointment of a special envoy to explain Kuala Lumpur's ideas to help resolve
the conflict.
During his visit to Sudan in April 2007, Abdullah also visited Darfur.
Nadir said 10 Sudanese from Darfur were in Malaysia since January this year
for a six month training stint in capacity building, adding that Mercy Malaysia
was also operating in Darfur focusing on healthcare.
In September last year, the Malaysian police sent seven officers and nine
personnel of other ranks on a United Nations (UN) peacekeeping mission to
Darfur. Malaysian police's first team comprising 26 people left in June.
Nadir said contrary to the allegations by certain Western countries,
President Bashir was in fact a leader who placed priority to the country's
peace and development, and had been instrumental in bringing to an end the long
war in Southern Sudan through the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and also peace
agreements in Eastern Sudan and the Darfur.
"He is a peacemaker...the people and the country are solidly behind him," he
said.
Sudan is not a party to the Hague-based ICC and did not recognise its
jurisdiction. Bashir had said the ICC's decision was "not worth the ink it is
printed on".
After the March 4th ICC decision, the Sudanese president travelled to
Eritrea, Egypt and Libya to send a strong message to some Western countries that
"it is business as usual for Sudan" and that it would not bow to pressure from
the ICC.
-- BERNAMA
