Algeria denies Sudan reports

2008-09-18 19:05

Algiers - Algeria on Thursday denied reports it and Khartoum may ask the United Nations to suspend war crimes proceedings against Sudan's leader, instead saying the African Union was considering such a move.

Remarks by Algerian Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci on national radio on Wednesday in no way suggested "that Algeria would seize the UN Security Council" on the matter, foreign ministry spokesperson Mehdi Nedjib told AFP.

"Besides, neither Algeria nor Sudan are even members of the council," he added.

Medelci said on radio that several months of discussions between Khartoum and Algiers "go in two directions" - including to ask the Security Council to freeze "very unfortunate" war crimes charges sought by the International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor against Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir.

The media, including AFP, interpreted those remarks as suggesting the demand would be made by Algeria and Sudan.

"Mr Medelci never said this," the spokesperson said.

Rather, he said, conversations between the two countries concerned a possible African Union initiative to do so.

Following preliminary investigations, International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo asked the court for an arrest warrant for Beshir on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur.

Sudan has been working hard to ward off potential charges from the court, drumming up support from the African Union and the Arab League.

According to the United Nations, up to 300 000 people have died in Darfur and more than 2.2 million have fled their homes since rebels rose up against Khartoum in February 2003. Sudan says 10 000 people have been killed.

- AFP