Divided Security Council won't react on Sudan

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
The UN Security Council is deeply divided on whether to seek a yearlong delay if the International Criminal Court issues a warrant for the arrest of Sudan's president for his role in the conflict in Darfur, the council president said Tuesday. So the council is not expected to have any immediate reaction to Wednesday's announcement by the tribunal's judges, Libya's acting UN Ambassador Ibrahim Dabbashi who is the current council president, told a news conference. The International Criminal Court, which is headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands, is to announce on Wednesday whether it will issue an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on charges of masterminding genocide in Darfur - a move that could provoke a violent backlash. The Rome statute that set up the court allows the Security Council, under Article 16, to pass a resolution to defer or suspend for a year the investigation or prosecution of a case. It also gives the council authority to renew such a resolution.