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'Sudan will not over any citizen to ICC'

"We will not hand over any Sudanese citizen to the ICC as Sudan is not a member of this court. The Security Council cannot refer Sudanese nationals to be tried at the ICC," said Dr Mustafa Othman Ismail, Advisor to Sudanese President Omer Al Bashir.

On May 3, the ICC had issued arrest warrants against two suspects wanted in connection with the violence in Sudan's Darfur region.

Warrants issued by ICC against Ahmed Muhammed Haroon, former minister of state for interior in the government of Sudan and currently minister of state for humanitarian affairs, and Janjaweed militia leader Ali Muhammed Abdul Rahman, blamed them for targeting civilians in attacks on four villages in West Darfur between August 2003 and March 2004.

Speaking to newsmen in Abu Dhabi yesterday, Dr Ismail, who is on an official visit to the country, stressed that the Sudanese government would not succumb to international pressure, especially regarding decisions that might affect national security of the country.

On the recent developments in the violence-torn western province, the former foreign minister said the Sudanese government was confronted with a major challenge of bringing the different factions in Darfur together to negotiate a peaceful settlement.

"There are 19 different factions in Darfur. The first big challenge is to bring them together under one leadership," said Dr Ismail.

Since February 2003, Darfur has been the site of an extremely violent conflict between the province's nomadic Arab tribes, supported by the government in Khartoum and the native African peasant tribes. "The conflict in Darfur is led by some Zionist groups in the West who tend to portray the issue as an ethnic problem and distort the image of Arab-Africans," he said.

"The government of Sudan is embarking on a four-year road map to guarantee the unity of the African country under a democratic government," said Dr Ismail.

He added: "Resolving the conflict in Darfur, attaining a comprehensive peace agreement for warring factions in Sudan and paving the way for democratic, transparent and credible elections are the main objectives of the road map," said Dr Ismail.

On the armed violence which has erupted lately in the capital Khartoum between Northerners and Southerners and claimed many lives, the presidential advisor said measures were in place to avert recurrence of such incidents.

"Security of Khartoum is our priority. The government has set a plan to disarm armed groups who had entered the capital under the recent peace agreements signed with their factions," Dr Ismail said.

Dr Ismail hailed the UAE for its help to Sudan to overcome its political problems. He pointed out that the two countries would cooperate in trade and investment.

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