China-bound al-Bashir avoids Turkmenistan, returns to Tehran

Jun 27, 2011, 13:10 GMT

Beijing - Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir missed his scheduled arrival in China Monday as he reportedly returned to Tehran to avoid flying over Turkmenistan.

The Sudan Tribune quoted unidentified sources in Khartoum as saying that al-Bashir had returned to Tehran after taking off for Beijing 'over concerns that the route would make him fly over countries that are members of the International Criminal Court (ICC).'

The newspaper quoted a later Sudanese Foreign Ministry statement as saying al-Bashir wanted to avoid flying over Turkmenistan.

Al-Bashir's flight 'was delayed because of an amendment that took place on the route of the presidential plane over the territory of Turkmenistan', the statement said.

The Sudanese Foreign Ministry expected al-Bashir to arrive in Beijing later Monday 'after assigning a new route to the presidential plane', the newspaper said.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry earlier said it remained unclear about the delay in al-Bashir's arrival and the status of his meeting with President Hu Jintao, which had been scheduled for Monday afternoon.

'We are still in contact with relevant departments,' a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said when asked about the delay. 'We don't have any details right now.'

Al-Bashir attended an international summit on terrorism in Tehran Saturday.

He was scheduled to begin a four-day state visit to China despite being wanted on genocide charges by the ICC.

The Netherlands-based court has issued two warrants for al-Bashir in connection with alleged atrocities committed in his nation's Darfur region. Al-Bashir has rejected the charges.

The human rights group Amnesty International urged China to withdraw its invitation to al-Bashir or arrest him if he travelled to Beijing.

China is not a member of the international court and has invested billions of dollars in Sudan, especially in its oil industry.

But it must now balance its relations with al-Bashir and with the soon-to-be-independent South Sudan, where about 75 per cent of Sudan's oil resources lie.

'We regard China as the strategic partner for Sudan in various fields, including the political, economic, commercial and cultural fields,' al-Bashir told the Chinese government's Xinhua news agency last week.

He said China had supported Sudan at 'various international forums' and was 'a partner for us in many projects.'

Al-Bashir has had to cancel several foreign trips before because of pressure from the international court.

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