Kuwaiti justice minister said in Cairo on Sunday that the Arab League (AL) is mulling a unified Arab legal stance towards the current crisis between Sudan and the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Husayn Nasser al-Hurayti made the remarks at an extraordinary session of the Arab justice ministers that kicked off in the morning, which is meant to discuss the legal aspect of the Sudan-ICC crisis.
Redwan ben Khdera, legal adviser to AL Secretary General Amr Moussa, said at the opening session that the ICC should play an independent and neutral role.
On July 14, ICC Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo formally requested an arrest warrant against Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for alleged war crimes in the western Sudanese region of Darfur, which was strongly refuted by the Sudanese government.
Ben Khdera said the ICC move on Sudanese leader proves that the international court is now away from its role, urging the international community to take a firm stand to readjust the ICC course.
The ICC chief prosecutor's move has triggered widespread criticism in the Arab world.
On July 19, the Cairo-based AL hosted an extraordinary meeting of Arab foreign ministers on the Sudan-ICC crisis, calling for respect of Sudan's sovereignty and territorial integrity and its judiciary independence.
AL foreign ministers council also issued a statement on Aug. 2, reiterating Arab countries' support to the peace and development process in Sudan.
(Xinhua News Agency October 13, 2008)
