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Arab summit to back Bashir

DOHA — The Arab summit here is expected to back the Sudanese president over an international warrant for his arrest and try to heal a deep Arab rift over how to deal with ascendant power Iran.

President Omar Hassan Al Bashir of Sudan arrived in the Gulf state yesterday, after visits to Egypt, Eritrea and Libya in the weeks since the International Criminal Court (ICC) indicted him on charges of masterminding war crimes in Darfur. Qatar, which hosts a key US military base, said last week it had faced unspecified pressure not to receive Bashir but it repeated an invitation for him to attend.

Bashir’s presence poses a challenge for the summit of the 22-member Arab League but officials in Doha said Saudi Arabia had pressed the summit to offer strong support for Sudan.

After the demise of Saddam Hussein, international justice for Sudan’s leader would set another troubling precedent for Arab leaders accused by rights groups of ruling by repression.

Bashir adviser Mustafa Osman Ismail told reporters in Doha: “We expect this popular uprising of support for Sudan, not just in the Arab world, to be translated into a strong resolution that meets the hopes of the Arab street.”

In the Sudanese capital Khartoum, an official played down any risk of Bashir being detained during the trip.

Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi yesterday described the indictment of Bashir as “First World terrorism”.

“The ICC warrant to arrest President Bashir is an attempt by (the West) to recolonise their former colonies,” Gaddafi, the current chairman of the African Union (AU), told reporters in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.

Iran issue

Qatar has maintained close links with Iran, despite US and Arab pressure to keep its distance from a country they suspect of seeking to develop nuclear weapons.

Egypt and Saudi Arabia refused to attend the summit, saying an economic Arab summit planned before the Gaza war would suffice. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s surprise decision not to attend the summit could spoil the reconciliation plans.

A session has been set aside today for leaders to thrash out their differences.