Sudan/Turkey

Indicted Beshir cancels trip to Turkey

Article published on the 2009-11-09 Latest update 2009-11-09 11:45 TU

Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir
(Photo: AFP)

Sudan's President Omar al-Beshir, the target of an international arrest warrant, has scrapped his visit to Turkey to join political negotiations in Khartoum. Beshir reportedly telephoned Turkish President Abdullah Gul to say he can not spare the time to attend Monday’s meeting of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference.

The cancellation followed mounting speculation over Beshir's attendance at the economic summit of the Islamic grouping after the European Union, which Turkey hopes to join, told the Ankara government it should bar or arrest him.

Sudan's leader is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for trial on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the western region of Darfur.

Emma Sinclair-Webb, of Human Rights Watch in Istanbul, had intended to organise a demonstration in Istanbul to protest the Turkish government's refusal to bar Beshir.

She told RFI the group was disappointed it was Beshir who cancelled, and not Turkey who prevented his visit.

"This is not doing Turkey any good - it is doing Turkey a lot of international harm to be seen to be having such a close relationship with a state whose presidebnt is indicted for such serious violations of human rights," she said.

Turkey has pointed out it is not a signatory to the treaty which set up the Hague-based ICC, and that Beshir was invited to the meeting by the conference and not Ankara.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, head of the Islamist ruling AKP party, has questioned the charges against Beshir, who will reportedly return to Khartoum to resolve a dispute between his ruling National Congress Party and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement.

Beshir was in Egypt on Sunday, taking part in a China-Africa summit in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.