Sudan slams ICC arrest call

Sudan has slammed the International Criminal Court prosecutor's call to arrest President Omar al-Bashir for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur. The government claims the ICC's move is a violation against its sovereignty.

The ICC's Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo formally requested an arrest warrant against al-Bashir on Monday. He said there are reasonable grounds to believe al-Bashir is responsible for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Darfur.

The court's judges will now review the application to decide whether to pursue the case.

Sudan's Vice President, Ali Osman Mohamed Taha, later rejected the allegations. He said the ethnic conflicts in Darfur began before al-Bashir rose to power.

The allegation is intended to foment sedition between those of Arab and African ethnic descent in the region.

Ali Osman Mohamed Taha expressed, "We issue a warning and call for the suspension of this arrest warrant because it only complicates issues and does not solve them."

The Sudanese Council of the States says the court has no jurisdiction in Sudan and that it will refuse any decision the ICC makes.

And the Sudanese Foreign Ministry says the ICC's move shows total disregard of efforts taken by Sudanese government on the issue of Darfur. It also says the action will undermine the peace process in the country.

Ali Alsadig, the FM spokesperson of Sudan said, "The verdict of the ICC, the arrest warrant, in fact has ignored a number of developments in Darfur -- the peace process, the government's efforts -- and it has not paid any attention to the interests of the Darfur people."

Meanwhile, thousands of Sudanese gathered in the capital city of Khartoum on Monday to demonstrate against the ICC.