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KHARTOUM. — Sudan demanded on Saturday the UN Security Council (UNSC) reconsider its decision to refer Sudan to the International Criminal Court (ICC). The country also urged the UNSC to recognise Khartoum’s great efforts to reach peace agreements with Darfur rebel movements. “Reconsidering the referring decision is demanded to support the peace and development efforts which started to fruit in Darfur,” said the Sudanese Foreign Ministry in a statement.

The statement said that the ICC does not have jurisdiction over Sudan as it is not a party to the ICC Statute, noting that the UNSC decision clearly contradicts the provisions of the Vienna convention on the Law of Treaties for 1969.

The statement also said the decision of ICC prosecutor to arrest a sitting head of state contradicts the rules of the international law and precedents of the International Court of Justice relating to immunity of heads of state.

It added that the report of the ICC prosecutor provided nothing new to convince the international community to support the court’s targeting and selective orientations.

Meanwhile, the ministry said circulation of fabricated news on mass rape cases at Tabit village in North Darfur State by the Dutch-based Radio Dabanga were unconcealed attempts and undeclared coordination to provide a new material for the report of the ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda to keep the issue before the UNSC.

The ministry regretted what it said is a drift of some UNSC members behind false news by Radio Dabanga, noting that the council was supposed to criticise that radio, particularly after the United Nations-African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID) issued a report refuting mass rape cases in Tabit village.

The statement reiterated Sudan’s commitment to continue endeavours with partners of peace and development to achieve sustainable peace, stability and development in Darfur and all parts of Sudan through serious national dialogue with the political parties in the country. On Friday, ICC prosecutor Fatou Bensouda told the UNSC that she was discontinuing her investigations in Darfur because of a lack of initiative by the council.

In her report to the council, she pointed to fresh allegations of a mass rape of 200 women in Tabit, located in North Darfur, saying that those allegations “have fuelled concerns regarding the overall security situation in the region and the general safety of women and girls in the area”.

In 2009, the ICC issued an arrest warrant against Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sudan’s Darfur region.

However, Khartoum then rejected the ICC decision and refused to hand over any Sudanese official to be tried at the ICC. — Xinhua.