Arab League to hold crisis talks on Al Bashir warrant

Cairo: The Arab League said on Saturday it will hold crisis talks on Sudan as the African Union warned that plans by the International Criminal Court to prosecute Sudanese leaders for alleged war crimes could jeopardise peace efforts in Darfur.

The Arab League received "an official from the Sudanese government and examined the latest developments in the situation between Sudan and the ICC," secretary-general Amr Mousa's chief of staff Hesham Yousuf said.

Earlier, the Sudanese ambassador to Egypt, Abdul Muneim Mabruk, told Egypt's Mena news agency that his country had made a request to Mousa to hold crisis talks. "The meeting will take place," Yousuf said, adding that no date had yet been set.

A senior European diplomat said on Friday the ICC's prosecutor would likely seek President Omar Hassan Al Bashir's arrest in a new Darfur war crimes case he will open on Monday.

Sudan has said any such move could undermine the Darfur peace process, a sentiment echoed by the African Union as well.

Two senior government officials said Sudan would likely seek Chinese, Russian and African support at the UN to help block Al Bashir's arrest.

The issue could also pit the demands of the UN-backed ICC against UN interests in deploying a peace force in Darfur - home to the world's largest humanitarian operation - and aid officials fear a potential backlash.

Sudanese officials said they were seeking broader international support to stymie any arrest warrant. "Contacts are already established with China and Russia and they have shown their support," said one senior government source.

The African Union's Peace and Security Council "expressed its strong conviction that the search for justice should be pursued in a way that does not impede or jeopardise efforts aimed at promoting lasting peace."