UN urged to support Sudan arrest

There are many rebel groups making peace efforts difficult

The International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor has warned the UN Security Council not to shield Sudan's president if the court issues an arrest warrant.

Luis Moreno-Ocampo accused President Omar al-Bashir in July of genocide in Darfur - a charge he denies.

Sudan has been campaigning for the UN Security Council to use its powers to suspend the ICC proceedings for a year.

Judges at the ICC are due to decide whether to issue an arrest warrant by the start of next year.

Some fear that if the president's indictment proceeds it could derail peace efforts in the region.

The ICC prosecutor has said there are grounds to believe Sudan's president bears criminal responsibility on 10 counts of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

ICC fends off Darfur challenge Profile: Omar al-Bashir

Mr Moreno-Ocampo warned the 15-nation Security Council not to be part of a cover-up.

"If the judges decide to issue an arrest warrant against President al-Bashir, there will be a need for united and consistent action to ensure its execution," Reuters news agency quoted the prosecutor as saying.

The Sudanese ambassador at the UN, Abdalmahmood Abdalhaleem Mohamad, told the BBC that Mr Ocampo "repeated his politically motivated allegations" adding that "it was a political statement not a legal one".

Sudan's government has always rejected charges that it armed the Janjaweed militias accused of widespread atrocities against civilians in Darfur.

Mr Moreno-Ocampo last month also asked judges for arrest warrants to be issued against three rebel commanders in Sudan's Darfur region.

The ICC has already issued two arrest warrants - in 2007 - for Sudan's humanitarian affairs minister and a pro-government militia leader for alleged war crimes in Darfur.

Sudan has refused to co-operate with the ICC and insists on conducting its own investigations.

The African Union supports Sudan's calls for the ICC proceedings to be suspended, arguing that arresting President al-Bashir would disrupt the peace process in Darfur.

The US is opposed, and European countries say there is no justification at present. But South Africa has called on the council to at least discuss suspension.

In November, Sudan's government called a unilateral ceasefire in Darfur, which rebel groups say was short-lived.

The campaign group Human Rights also warned the security council not to be hoodwinked by Khartoum into handing impunity to Sudan's president.

The UN estimates that up to 2.7 million people have been forced from their homes in Darfur and some 300,000 have died during five and a half years of conflict.