China Opposes Any Sudan Indictments, Would Support Suspending, Darfur Threat Level Raised

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at UN
www.innercitypress.com/unsc1iccdarfur071108.html

UNITED NATIONS, July 11 -- With the prospect of Sudan's president being indicted for war crimes as early as July 14, Inner City Press on Friday asked Chinese Ambassador to the UN Wang Guangya if China thinks such an indictment would be helpful to people in Darfur. "I don't think so," Ambassador Wang said. Impunity is part of the problem in Sudan, he said, but "there are more important problems" such as political negotiations, humanitarian access and "peacekeeping modalities." Video here, from Minute 1:43.

This last is a reference to already delayed deployment of peacekeepers in Darfur, which was at least partially suspended on Friday by the UN, as confirmed to Inner City Press by Australia's Defense Minister Joel Fitzgibbon. Sudan's Ambassador to the UN told Inner City Press that the UN has raised its threat level for Darfur to the highest category, Four, and raised the level for Khartoum to Three. He had just met with Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, telling him "we hold you responsible if our President is indicted." Mr. Ban, he said, remained impassive. The idea of asking the Security Council to suspend any International Criminal Court proceeding against President Omar al Bashir has been broached.

Inner City Press asked Amb. Wang for China's view on this. "There are elements in the [Rome] statute," he said. "It depends on the Council... the Council members have to take up this responsibility." Video here, from Minute 1:43. This last is taken to mean that China supports putting a stop on the ICC and prospector Luis Moreno Ocampo. People were racing around Friday at the UN trying to determine when such a suspension resolution would have to be passed: before Ocampo asks the judges to indict or between the request and the indictment? Or, as Ugandan indictee Joseph Kony of the Lord's Resistance Army has demanded, in exchange for any peace, after the indictment?

Inner City Press ask this month's Vietnamese Security Council president Le Luong Minh if any request had been made to discuss ICC suspension. "Not in the Security Council framework," he replied. Video here.

But, looking forward, would the U.S., France and / or the UK veto any draft resolution to suspend ICC proceedings? Inner City Press asked U.S. Ambassador to the UN Zalmay Khalilzad, but he said, "I don't want to answer that today." In fairness, the U.S. sponsored Zimbabwe sanctions resolution had just be vetoed by both China and Russia, and Amb. Khalilizad wanted to speak about their votes, and that of South Africa, which he called "disturbing" as well as longing for Jacob Zuma to take over, click here for that.

After the Zimbabwe sanctions resolution was voted down on Friday afternoon, French Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert, when asked if the proponents miscalculated by calling the vote, pointed out that there were 9 votes for -- including, notably, Burkina-Faso -- and that the EU can continue with its own moves against Zimbabwe.

Inner City Press asked about South Africa's statement that Bernard Kouchner's statement that only a government led by the MDC would be legitimate worked against passage of the resolution. Ripert bristled, saying he was only answering so Inner City Press wouldn't call him unresponsive, and pointing to a July 4 statement referring to the March vote in Zimbabwe. Then he left. Video here, at end.

But the Kouchner quote, by Agence France Presse, was that "the government is illegitimate if it isn't led by opposition leader Mr Tsvangirai."

Would France veto a resolution to suspend an ICC indictment? We will ask the question. Watch this site.

Footnote: Of Burkina-Faso vote in favor of Zimbabwe sanctions, Sudan's Ambassador pointed to the appointment of that countries former former minister Bassole as Darfur mediator and said, "everything must be paid for." He said he no loner favors expansion of the Security Council to include more developing countries, after Burkina-Faso's vote, he prefers to stick with the Permanent Five and their vetoes. "It is better to deal with the Devil than the disciplines," he said.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/unsc1iccdarfur071108.html