AU Wants ICC to Defer Bashir Arrest

The African Union has urged the International Criminal Court to postpone its plan to arrest Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir over accusations of genocide in Darfur. Speaking Monday on behalf of Tanzanian President and AU Chairman Jakaya Kikwete, Tanzania’s Foreign Minister Bernard Membe said any charges against Bashir should be deferred until the AU “sorts out the primary problems” in Darfur and Southern Sudan. ICC Chief prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo has applied for an arrest warrant for the Sudanese leader to face charges of the systematic killing of an estimated 35,000 Darfuris.[PE]