DOHA, Qatar
The U.N. chief confronted Sudan’s embattled president Monday with demands to allow the return of expelled aid groups to Darfur - and was met with a defiant response as Arab leaders rallied to his side to formally reject international war-crime charges against him.
The Arab League declaration is likely to boost President Omar Bashir’s willingness to challenge the West and flaunt his wide support among Arabs in opposing the arrest order by the International Criminal Court.
Lt. Gen. Bashir’s attendance among other Arab leaders was his boldest public snub of the court’s decision to issue an arrest warrant, bringing him to the same conference hall as U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for the summit’s opening speeches. Mr. Ban’s spokeswoman, Michele Montas, said the two men were in the same room, but did not speak or interact directly.
“Relief efforts should not become politicized,” Mr. Ban said.
“People in need must be helped, irrespective of political differences,” he added in an appeal to resume relief efforts to Darfur.
There was no risk of arrest at the summit for Gen. Bashir, who had full backing of the 22-nation Arab League. The group later issued a formal declaration rejecting the court’s charges.
But it gave Gen. Bashir a forum to swipe at the court and the U.N. Security Council, which asked the the court to open the investigation into war crimes in Darfur.
In a speech, Gen. Bashir called the Security Council an “undemocratic institution that … applies double standards, targeting the weak and turning a blind eye to the [real] criminals.”
He also offered no sign that he would permit the return of international aid groups to Darfur, where Sudan’s Arab-led government has battled ethnic-African rebels for six years. The conflict, according to U.N. estimates, has killed up to 300,000 people and driven 2.7 million from their homes.
Later, Gen. Bashir expressed “respect and thanks” for the public rejection of the court’s charges.
“We confirm our firm support for Sudan,” said the Arab League secretary-general, Amr Moussa.
The international court was established at a U.N. conference in Rome in 1998. The court is independent from the world body and relies on nations backing the court’s charter to carry out its decisions.
The summit had been expected to wrap up early Tuesday before moving to an expanded session with South American leaders. There was no immediate explanation for its early finish Monday night.
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