Bashir not to attend OIC summit in Istanbul
"We have learned that he is not coming," a Turkish government official told reporters on condition of anonymity, without elaborating.
Istanbul: Sudan's indicted President Omar Hassan Al Bashir will not attend an Islamic summit in Istanbul as planned, Turkish government officials said on Sunday, after the European Union raised objections to his visit.
Bashir, for whom an international arrest warrant has been issued for crimes against humanity in Sudan's Darfur region, had announced plans to attend a meeting of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC).
The 57-nation OIC ence holds its main meetings on Monday.
"We have learned that he is not coming," a Turkish government official told reporters on condition of anonymity, without elaborating.
Predominantly Muslim Turkey, which is seeking EU membership, had come under pressure from Brussels and international human rights groups to drop Bashir from the guest list.
Erdogan: He is welcome
Earlier, Turkey had said it will welcome the Sudanese leader even though he has been indicted for orchestrating crimes against humanity in Darfur.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Al Bashir is free to join an Istanbul summit of the OIC.
Erdogan said on Sunday that Turkey respects human rights and would not hesitate to challenge Al Bashir if it believed he had committed atrocities. But Erdogan said he doesn't believe that Sudanese paramilitary forces committed acts of genocide against African residents of Darfur.
Turkey does not recognise the International Criminal Court, the Netherlands-based body that in March issued an arrest warrant for Al Bashir.
