ICC prosecutor warns UN against Sudan coverup

ICC prosecutor warns UN against Sudan coverup
Wed Dec 3, 2008 12:35pm EST Email | Print | Share| Reprints | Single Page[-] Text [+]
By Patrick Worsnip

UNITED NATIONS, Dec 3 (Reuters) - The International Criminal Court prosecutor told the United Nations on Wednesday to be prepared to arrest Sudan's president on genocide charges and to guard against any coverup.

ICC judges in the The Hague are considering a request by the prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Campo, for a warrant against President Omar Hassan al-Bashir on the charges for crimes in the war-torn Darfur region. A decision is expected next month.

Moreno-Ocampo told the 15-nation U.N. Security Council it "must be prepared. If the judges decide to issue an arrest warrant against President al-Bashir, there will be a need for united and consistent action to ensure its execution."

Moreno-Ocampo accused Bashir of promising ceasefires then ordering bombing raids in Darfur, of denying that mass rapes were taking place and of promising justice while torturing witnesses.

"Genocide continues. Rapes in and around the (refugee) camps continue. Humanitarian assistance is still hindered. More than 5,000 displaced persons die each month," he said.

Bashir's "criminal actions should not be ignored," the prosecutor said. "The international community cannot be part of any coverup of genocide or crimes against humanity."

African and Arab states have criticized Moreno-Ocampo's attempt to bring Bashir before the ICC and suggested the Security Council should delay any proceedings.

In a separate, written report to the council, Moreno-Ocampo called on U.N. member states to back up any arrest warrants by severing nonessential contact with indictees and imposing travel bans and asset freezes on them.

The prosecutor has also requested warrants against three Darfur rebel commanders whose names have not been made public.

Sudan's U.N. ambassador, Abdalmahmoud Abdalhaleem, accused Moreno-Ocampo of "political blackmail."

"He's increasingly transforming the ICC into a tool that has nothing to do with justice," Abdalhaleem told Reuters, adding that most countries in the world want the Security Council to suspend the investigation against Bashir.

U.N. officials say up to 300,000 people have been killed since the Darfur conflict erupted five years ago and that 2.7 million have been driven from their homes. Khartoum says 10,000 people have died. (Editing by Doina Chiacu)