ACCRA: Sudan s president warned Thursday that attempts by the International Criminal Court to prosecute him on charges of waging a genocidal campaign in Darfur are undermining attempts to bring peace to the region. Prosecutors at the Hague-based International Criminal Court filed genocide charges against President Omar Al-Beshir in July, marking the first time prosecutors at the world s first permanent war crimes tribunal have issued charges against a sitting head of state. The chief prosecutor has also sought an arrest warrant for Al-Beshir, but no decision has been made. Speaking in Ghana s capital at the opening of a two-day summit of the 79-nation African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States, Al-Beshir said the charges were undermining peace talks on Darfur because that sent a negative signal to rebels, who immediately distanced themselves from all negotiations. It also threatens the democratic transformation of Sudan, when political parties are preparing themselves for elections next year, Al-Beshir said. It will have a catastrophic impact on the stability of the entire region. The Sudanese president said that, despite the charges, he was committed to the Darfur talks. The African Union and the Arab League have sought to suspend the prosecution, and the African, Caribbean and Pacific group has said the charges and possible arrest warrant could threaten regional stability. The Darfur conflict began in early 2003 when ethnic African rebels took up arms against Sudan s Arab-dominated central government, accusing it of discrimination. Many of the worst atrocities in the war have been blamed on the janjaweed militia of Arab nomads allied with the government. Up to 300,000 people have been killed and more than 2.5 million have been chased from their homes since the fighting began. -Sarah El Deeb in Cairo, Egypt contributed to this report.
