Unrestrained Bashir Defies ICC Before Friendly Audience

UNCLAS KHARTOUM 001173 STATE FOR AF/SPG, AF/PD, IIP/G/AF, RRU/AF E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PGOV PHUM KPAO OIIP SU SUBJECT: Unrestrained Bashir Defies ICC Before Friendly Audience REF: KHARTOUM 1117 ¶1. Summary: Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir's defiant speech against the International Criminal Court (ICC) received widespread and prominent coverage in the local press on August 4. Papers from across the political spectrum carried reports of the speech on the front page, complete with photos of the Sudanese leader addressing his supporters from various international and regional labor organizations. None of the newspapers opposed Bashir's speech in any way. The Sudanese President had been very restrained in talking about the ICC to date, allowing surrogates to take on the subject for him. End Summary. ¶2. Bashir addressed a "Popular Rally for Solidarity with Sudan" under the slogan "Stop Targeting Sudan" organized by the regime-controlled Sudan Workers Trade Unions Federation in collaboration with the International Confederation of Arab Trade Unions at the Friendship Hall in Khartoum on August 4. Bashir announced that he would not cooperate with the International Criminal Court. On July 14, ICC Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo announced that he would be seeking arrest warrant for Bashir in relation to allegations that the president was responsible for genocide and war crimes in Darfur. ¶3. "Akher Lahza," a pro-government daily, ran a headline that quoted Bashir saying, "America, France and Britain are launching a campaign to recolonize Sudan." It also cited Bashir saying that he would not "recognize the International (or what seemingly calls itself International) Criminal Court," saying that this would mean denying Sudan its sovereignty, as well as its legal, political, and diplomatic rights. ¶4. "Al-Watan," a daily independent newspaper that was formerly run by the Umma Party of Saddig Al-Mahdi, had a headline that quoted the Sudanese President as saying, "Colonial countries need to wash the blood off their hands." Bashir also said that Sudan had been able to end the longest war in Africa, so why wouldn't it be able to end the war in Darfur? According to the newspaper, Bashir added that "superpowers in the world" wanted to re-colonize Sudan by initiating their war agendas. Bashir reportedly said these countries should leave the "poor people alone" to pursue their own means of stability. He also requested the colonizers (referring to France and Great Britain) to apologize to their former colonies for the bloodshed they had caused, asking them to return the looted resources they had taken from these lands. He noted that the UK had killed tens of thousands of Sudanese during the time of the Mahdi. ¶5. Even "Al-Sudani," an independent daily, and "Agras Al-Hurrya," a daily sponsored by the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), highlighted Bashir's defiance of the ICC. Several newspapers published editorials not necessarily related to the speech seemingly siding with Bashir as he pointed fingers of blame at the U.S., France, and Britain accusing them of conspiring against Sudan in an attempt to re-colonize Africa. ¶6. One pro-government daily newspaper, "Al-Sharia Al-Siyasi," ran a column by Izzat Izzeldin entitled, "It's time ... for America to dig its own grave." The author accused the U.S. of being singlehandedly responsible for a series of events in Sudan, including last May's attack by Darfur rebels in Omdurman and the ICC prosecutor's accusations against Bashir. The author said these were part of the Bush Administration's attempt to help boost Republican Senator John McCain's election chances in November. The writer mentioned that America has only made greater enemies and is digging its own grave. ¶7. Comment: NCP leaders had convinced President Bashir to allow them to bash the ICC while he took the high road. That strategy certainly held for a few weeks, but this very friendly audience and support he has gotten from the AU and Arab League (AU Chairman Ping arrived in Khartoum on August 4) seemed to have - for now - emboldened the Sudanese President, at least in his use of colorful language to condemn the West. FERNANDEZ