HRW requests Jordan to arrest Sudan's Bashir ahead of Arab League visit

Jordan’s Minister Of State For Media Affairs Mohammed Momani. (AFP)

The Dead Sea: Jordan said Monday that it welcomes the participation of all Arab countries in the 28th Arab Summit, including Sudan.
“According to the Arab League charter, all member states have access to all Arab League activities at all levels,” Jordan’s Minister Of State For Media Affairs Mohammed Momani told Arab News on Monday.
“Sudan is an Arab state and an active member of the Arab League and thus Jordan welcomes the participation of the Arab Republic of Sudan, regardless of the representation,” he added.
Momani’s statement came in the aftermath of Human Rights Watch’s call on Jordan to deny entry to Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir or arrest him if he enters the country.
Al Bashir has been invited to visit Jordan on March 29 to attend the 28th summit of the Arab League taking place at the King Hussein Convention Center.
“Jordan would be defying its international obligations as an ICC member if it allows Al Bashir to visit without arresting him,” said Elize Keppler, associate international justice director at Human Rights Watch.
“Welcoming an ICC fugitive would undermine the Jordanian government’s recent efforts to strengthen the country’s rule of law,” Keppler added.
Meanwhile, the Sudanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Ibrahim Ghandour confirmed that President Bashir will lead the Sudanese delegation to the summit, which he said comes at a critical time in the life of the country.
He said the summit is set to discuss development and rehabilitation efforts in Sudan as well as the question of Arab food security.
The minister criticized HRW which he said continues to fabricate reports about Sudan, including allegations of the use of chemical weapons in the Jabal Mara area or Darfur.
He said that HRW’s allegations had been negated by documents and records proving otherwise and added that the international community elected a Sudanese official as deputy chairperson of the Hague-based Organization for Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.