[b]African nations will not execute an International Criminal Council arrest warrant issued for Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, an African Union summit decided.

The summit in Equatorial Guinea said the warrant issued last week "seriously complicates" efforts to find a peaceful solution to the conflict between Gaddafi's forces and Libyan rebels.

An assembly of the summit decided that " AU member states shall not cooperate in the execution of the arrest warrant," according to a text of the decisions.

The warrant "seriously complicates the efforts aimed at finding a negotiated political settlement to the crisis in Libya, which will also address, in a mutually reinforcing way, issues related to impunity and reconciliation," it said.

The 53-nation African Union took a similar stance against an ICC warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir in 2009 on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur.

The ICC on June 27 issued warrants for Gaddafi, his son Seif al-Islam, and the head of Libyan intelligence, Abdullah al-Senussi, for atrocities committed in a bloody uprising that began mid-February.

The summit that opened outside the capital Malabo yesterday also agreed on a roadmap out of the Libyan conflict, in which five African leaders are mediating. [/b]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Africa-will-not-execute-Gaddafi-warrant-African-Union-summit/articleshow/9070860.cms




I couldnt agree more with the unanimous stand taken by our  African leaders at the summit in Malabo.   Indeed, everyone involved in perpetuating crimes against humanity should be made to face justice, unfortunately ICC  seem to be turning into a "political bull dog " for western countries with complete disregard to bringing an end to the crisis for which the accused is being accussed  .  The act of targeting African leaders in power by ICC is now becoming a common trend which only reinforces the act of double standards claimed to be perpetrated by the int'l organization against Africans.

The ICC order for the arrest of Ghaddafi ,  if given legitimacy,  would only force him to dig in and fight to death, hence sabotaging any efforts of peace  brokered by African leaders to see an end to the crisis with less bloodshed.  A similar arrest warrant for president Al-Bashir of Sudan has been Ignored by African countries, and recently China (as demonstrated by his visit to the country). So, is the ICC now  loosing its legitimacy ? We'll like to read your constructive and objective inputs.

First, there is disparity in the understanding and usage of terms.

The statutes used by UN and its agencies are compositions and wordings of a selection of countries, none of which is in Africa.

So the term "terrorism" for instance. It is not a universally defined and applicable law.

Gangsters on American streets are terrorists but no war is declared on them. Drug lords in Mexico are terrorists but no international coalition is put together to rescue innocent civilians killed daily in their sweep.

So what is genocide? Does its meaning have universal understanding and is every country equally liable on the human rights criteria attached to it?

Are the scrutiny of a genocidal atrocity the same in Africa as it is in Asia, Europe, North and South America and Australia? . . . . And are there any sacred cows that are exccused from ICC prosecutuion because the genocide is deemed a domestic issue and outside UN jurisdiction?


The process of law need to be reviewed and amended to give fairness and judicial protection to minorities that are unqualified to protect and demand fair justice without an external sponsorship.

Maple, I share your sentiments on this issue, particularly the bit about the unanimous stance against the arrest warrant. Such news gladdens my heart.

There is a distinction between social justice,morality and fundamental human rights.What do you call a situation where france openly admitted to arming libyan rebels against the sovereign government ? A black problem needs a black solution.
the involvement of the west in an African crisis will only worsen it because they are out to satisfy their own foreign policy and everything must be done to achieve that.Libya supplies bulk of france crude oil and a defiant Ghadafi is a bad deal for them,so ousting him and putting their own puppet capitalist that will sell the national assets to them.
I support the stance of the African leader as it shows that Africans themselves are the ones that can solve their problems.

What ICC - u mean d puppet of d west?
When will Blair and Bush be arrested for war crime for declaring war on Iraq based on lies dat Iraq had WMD?
U guyz should learn how to read btw d lines:
NATO d civilian protector bombed and killed civilians on d other side and there was a public outcry.
Few days later, ICC issued an arrest warrant for Ghaddafi & co. to sway public opinion, days later in direct violation of UN resolution 1970, i.e. no arms for both sides, France went ahead to air drop weapons on bendouin tribesmen who will sell d weapons to anyone wit cash (like boko harams) which may also destabilise other African countries.
When this uprising started, i was rooting for the rebels but now i've changed sides seeing the hypocrisy of the west and the cowardice of the rebels. I hope Ghaddafi wins

^^
ICC is indeed a western puppet organization satisfying the whims of western govts, this is why I think its about time AU sets up an independent judicial body similar to ICC to prosecute for war crimes in Africa.