UNITED NATIONS (AFP) — UN chief Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday urged Sudan to act "very responsibly" if President Omar al-Beshir is issued an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court over alleged genocide in Darfur.
He told a press conference that whatever decision the ICC reaches, "it will be very important for President Beshir and the Sudanese government to react very responsibly and ensure the safety and security" of UN peacekeepers (in Darfur) and protect the human rights of the population."
The ICC is expected to decide as early as this month whether to issue an arrest warrant against Beshir.
The court's chief prosecutor has accused the Sudanese president of 10 counts of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur.
Last week, UN special envoy to Sudan Ashraf Qazi warned that the 15-member UN Security Council would have to weigh "potential threats" to the operation of the UN mission in Sudan (UNMIS) and the joint UN-AU mission in Darfur (UNAMID) as a result of the ICC decision.
"We have received assurances of protection and cooperation from Sudanese authorities at the highest levels," he noted. "But these assurances have been qualified by warnings about political outrage."
In a report issued earlier this month, Ban also voiced concern about remarks by some Sudanese officials suggesting that "Khartoum may redefine its relationship with UNMIS (UN mission in Sudan) should an arrest warrant be issued against president al-Beshir."
"I call upon the (Khartoum) government to fulfill its obligations to ensure the safety of United Nations staff and of nationals of state members of the United Nations in Sudan," Ban then noted.
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