Africa ICC members will not quit despite Bashir move

Addis Ababa, 09 June-(ANA)- African member countries of the International Criminal Court (ICC) will not pull out of the body despite their opposition to its indictment of the Sudanese President, diplomatic sources said.

The ICC has issued an arrest warrant for President Omar Hassan al-Bashir to face charges of war crimes carried out during almost six years of fighting in Sudan's violent Darfur region, but he has refused to deal with the court.

Africa is the most heavily represented continent in the ICC with 30 member countries. They are meeting in Addis Ababa to discuss their opposition to Bashir's indictment.

"They will reach a consensus and ask for the warrant against al-Bashir to be deferred for some time," a diplomat told Reuters. "But an en masse withdrawal will not happen," he added.

Diplomats told Reuters only Libya, Senegal, Djibouti and the Comoros had lobbied the two-day meeting that ends on Tuesday for all African member countries to leave the court. An African Union (AU) heads of state meeting in February decided the continent's ICC members should consider such a move.(ANA)

FA/ANA/09 June 2009---