Arab summit urged to reject warrant

DOHA, Monday

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad urged Arab leaders meeting in Doha today to reject an international arrest warrant issued against Sudan’s leader over the Darfur conflict.

Speaking at the opening of the Arab Summit, Assad also said peace between Arabs and Israelis could not be reached without willingness on the part of the Jewish state.

“Israel killed the initiative, not the Doha summit,” he said, referring to a 2002 Arab initiative that offered Israel normal ties in return for its withdrawal from Arab land seized in 1967.

The appearance of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, flouting an international arrest warrant, is set to overshadow efforts to heal a deep Arab rift over how to handle rising power Iran.

Bashir flew into the small Gulf Arab state on Sunday after visits to Egypt, Eritrea and Libya in the weeks since the International Criminal Court (ICC) indicted him on charges of masterminding war crimes in Darfur.

After the demise of Saddam Hussein, international justice for Sudan’s leader would set another troubling precedent for Arab leaders accused by rights groups of ruling by repression.

Qatar, which hosts a key US military base, said last week it had faced unspecified pressure not to receive Bashir but it repeated an invitation for him to attend.

Mr Bashir’s presence poses a challenge for the summit of the 22-member Arab League but officials in Doha said Saudi Arabia had pressed the summit to offer strong support for Sudan. (Reuters)