OIC denounces indictment of Sudanese President Beshir

Aug 4, 2008, 14:35 GMT

Jeddah - The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) expressed its full solidarity Monday with 'Sudan under the leadership of President Omar Beshir,' describing his recent indictment by the prosecutor for the International Criminal Court (ICC) as 'unwarranted and unacceptable.'

The Executive Committee of the OIC has convened for a one-day emergency meeting at the General Secretariat in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, to discuss the implications of the ruling.

ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo accused Beshir of masterminding a genocidal campaign in Sudan's strife-torn western region of Darfur and asked a three-judge panel at the ICC to issue an arrest warrant for the Sudanese leader.

In its final communique, the OIC expressed its deep concern that the action would 'undermine the promotion of long lasting peace and reconciliation in Sudan ... and further lead to greater destabilization for the country and entire region.'

The group also urged the UN Security Council to suspend indefinitely the ICC move, reaffirming that any kind of selectivity and double standards in the application of the principles of criminal justice 'may negatively affect the credibility of the ICC.'

The communique referred to the OIC's respect for the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and non-interference in the internal affairs of Sudan, and called on all sections of the international community to do the same.

The OIC said it would organize a donors' conference for Darfur, however a date was not yet set. It called upon member states to 'participate effectively and contribute generously at the conference.'

Presently Senegal, Malaysia, Egypt, Uganda, Pakistan, Syria and Saudi Arabia are members of the OIC Executive Committee.