China backs Sudan in row over Darfur war crimes charge

China yesterday attacked the International Criminal Court prosecutor's decision to seek an arrest warrant for Sudan's president on charges of genocide in the African country's war-torn Darfur region.

The indictment marked the first time prosecutors at the world's first permanent war crimes tribunal have issued charges against a sitting head of state, though President Omar al-Bashir is unlikely to face trial any time soon.

"China expresses great concern and worry about the ICC's prosecutor's accusation against Sudanese leaders," Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said at a regular briefing.

"The ICC's move should be conducive to safeguarding the stability of Sudan's situation and the proper resolution for the Darfur region rather than the contrary."

China, which buys two-thirds of Sudan's petroleum exports, has been criticized for not using its economic leverage to apply more pressure on the Sudanese government for peace in Darfur, where the United Nations says more than 300,000 people have died and 2.5 million have been driven from their homes.

Sudan's UN ambassador, Abdalmahmood Abdalhaleem Mohamed, indicated Monday that he would draw on backing from Beijing - one of the UN Security Council's five permanent members with veto power - to help push back against the ICC.

When asked whether China would use its position on the council to block the charges, Liu said the matter would be discussed with other members. "As to what results would be reached after that consultation, I cannot speculate."

Sudan has denounced the indictment as a political stunt and says it will ignore any arrest order.

One Sudanese lawmaker said his government could no longer guarantee the safety of UN staff in the troubled region.

Anger on the streets: Protestors chant slogans against International Criminal Court's arrest warrant

But Liu said China was not concerned because Khartoum has reiterated on many occasions that peacekeepers in Darfur will be safe. "We appreciate their attitude," he said.

The international court's prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, filed 10 charges against al-Bashir related to a campaign of extermination of three Darfur tribes.

A three-judge panel was expected to take two to three months to decide whether to issue an arrest warrant.

While human rights groups have welcomed the prosecutor's move, they have also cautioned it could provoke a violent backlash from Sudan while offering little prospect that al-Bashir will be arrested and put on trial at The Hague.

The court, which began work in 2002, has no enforcement arm and relies on governments to act as its police force.

Sudan has been a flashpoint for China in the run-up to next month's Beijing Olympics. Activist groups say China needs to do more with its close diplomatic and economic ties to the African country to press for an end to the bloodshed.

As the pressure mounted last year, China took credit for persuading al-Bashir to agree to a U.N.-African Union peacekeeping force for Darfur.

China also announced it would send an additional £5 million in humanitarian aid to Darfur and provide 275 military engineers, who have been digging wells and making other preparations for the hybrid force. Liu said the last batch of engineers will depart Wednesday.

Besides buying Sudan's oil, energy-hungry China also has refineries, a pipeline and joint exploration projects there. Beijing also sells weapons to the Khartoum regime, which is accused of unleashing janjaweed militias on ethnic African rebels.

A BBC documentary broadcast on Monday alleges that China provides military trucks and trains pilots to fly Chinese jets in Darfur in violation of a UN arms embargo.
Liu dismissed the report as "unfair and incorrect."

"China always has adopted a responsible attitude toward arms exports and strictly manages that in line with international obligations and domestic laws and regulations and never sells in areas in which arms embargoes are imposed by the UN Security Council," Liu said. "China has never violated any Security Council resolution."