CAIRO—The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia condemned the decision by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue a warrant for the arrest of Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir for war crimes, expressing its fear that the decision threatens Sudan's stability.

Saudi Minister of Information and Culture Abdul-Aziz Al-Khoja said on March 10 that the ICC's decision to arrest Al-Bashir will not improve the situation in Sudan, but will instead worsen it and that Riyadh would support Sudan in the face of anything that threatens its independence.

Egypt, too, expressed its support for Al-Bashir when Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit stated on March 6 that the arrest of Al-Bashir represented a threat to efforts being made to find a solution to the crisis in the Darfur region of western Sudan. He called upon the Security Council to assume responsibility for maintaining security and peace in Sudan.

The decision has, in fact, had a negative impact on Sudan's international relations. Sudanese Minister of Information Zahawi Ibrahim Malek confirmed to the Saudi

The leader of the Darfur Justice and Equality movement, however, asserted that his organisation would reconsider its position on the Sudan peace process that Qatar initiated if Al-Bashir is invited to attend the summit. Qatar successfully negotiated a truce agreement between rebels from the Justice and Equality movement and the Sudanese government signed by the two parties Feb. 18.

Sources: The Jordanian