Sudan on Wednesday summoned the European Union (EU) envoy in Khartoum in protest against a EU statement criticizing African countries for failing to arrest and surrender Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to the International Criminal Court (ICC). The EU on Monday expressed regret that Djibouti and Uganda, both state parties to the Rome Statute of the ICC, hosted al-Bashir on July 5-7. The president of the Republic performs his sovereign duties... as is dictated by his constitutional duties and the international law, Undersecretary of Foreign Ministry Abdul-Ghani Al-Naeem said in a statement by the ministry. He noted that Sudan did not accept that it was involved in or subjected to any procedure or action based on the Rome Statute establishing the ICC as the country is not a signatory of this statue. The undersecretary added that the ICC had politicized the issue and targeted African leaders only. The EU ambassador promised to convey Sudans message to the European Commission, said the statement. He expressed appreciation of Sudans current efforts to facilitate and host peace talks between South Sudans rivals, as well as the cooperation between Sudan and the EU in all fields. The ICC issued the first warrant for arrest of al-Bashir in 2009, and the second in 2010. The president was alleged to bear individual criminal responsibility for crimes against humanity in Darfur since 2003. Xinhua
