Mubarak for summit on Darfur
Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak will address the invitation for holding a five-way African summit for following up the results of Tripoli summit which was held last October 17 in the Libyan capital and attended by the leaders of Egypt, Libya, the Sudan, Nigeria and Chad.
Suleiman Awwad, the Presidential spokesman said the aim of this summit is to discuss ways of containing the situation in Darfur,not internationalizing it and providing a chance for the African Union to contain it in a purely African framework and supported by the international community.
He said President Mubarak is interested in containing this conflict and achieving the comprehensive national reconciliation in the framework of the one Sudan.
Answering a question by Al Akhbar newspaper, on the Security Council resolution on prosecuting war criminals in Darfur and excluding the US nationals from pursuit and the rejection by the Sudan of the trial of any Sudanese citizen outside the Sudan, the Presidential spokesman said he would not comment on the Security Council which represents international legitimacy regardless of the view of Egypt or any other party of the resolutions it adopts.
In Cairo, Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul- Gheit said the five-way summit will be held in Sharm-el- Sheikh on April 20.
The official spokesman said contacts are underway for holding NEPAD conference in Egypt in line with the initiative taken by the summit held in Algeria on last November 23.
Meantime,
UN special envoy to Sudan Jan Pronk advised Khartoum on Sunday to cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Hague.
Pronk told a press conference in Khartoum that resolution 1593, which called for trying Sudanese accused of committing war crimes in Darfur before the world court, was issued by the world's leading political body namely,the UN Security Council.
On resolution 1591, which bans Sudanese officials from traveling abroad and freezes their assets, Pronk said the measure does not target the Sudanese government but rather certain people who impede the march of peace in Darfur and commit human rights violations.