ICC letter forced bloc to take talks to Addis
The court called for the arrest of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir if he turned out for the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (Igad) conference that was to start on Friday. Photo/AFP
Fear of the ICC arresting Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir forced organisers of a regional conference to move it to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Multiple sources told the Saturday Nation that the decision to transfer the meeting to African Union headquarters in Ethiopia was prompted by a letter from the International Criminal Court (ICC) to the government.
The court called for the arrest of Mr Bashir if he turned out for the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (Igad) conference that was to start on Friday.
The organisers had considered taking the summit to Khartoum but sources said Uganda President Yoweri Museveni stated that he would skip the meeting if it was held in Sudan.
A statement from the ICC Registrar, Ms Silvana Arbia, said: “The International Criminal Court requested the Republic of Kenya to inform the Chamber, no later than 29 October, about any problem which would impede or prevent the arrest and surrender of Omar al-Bashir in the event that he visits the country on 30 October, 2010.”
This, sources said, meant that the ICC was to apply other means to arrest Mr Bashir in Nairobi during the meeting.
On Thursday Foreign Affairs assistant minister Richard Onyonka had been quoted as saying that the meeting had been postponed indefinitely.
However, Head of Presidential Press service, Mr Isaiah Kabira, said the meeting had been postponed to next week and it will take place in Addis Ababa.
