UK Minister for Africa, Henry Bellingham, expressed 'disappointment' at Malawi's refusal to arrest Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir, who arrived in the country on Monday.
In a statement, Bellingham said,
“I am disappointed that Malawi hosted President Bashir of Sudan today [14th October] in defiance of International Criminal Court arrest warrants for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.
“The British government expects the Government of Malawi to stand by its obligations under the Rome Statute, and as a UN member state.
"The Government of Malawi has committed itself to full cooperation with the ICC, and I reiterate the importance that the British government places on such commitments.”
“We support the work of the ICC as an independent judicial body."
"All countries should cooperate with the ICC investigations in accordance with UN Security Council Resolutions, and the particular legal obligations of States Party to the ICC.”
Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of war crimes and genocide, arrived in Malawi on Monday to attend a trade summit - the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (Comesa) Heads of State and Government Summit.
See our earlier posts:
Outrage at Malawi's refusal to arrest Bashir (Oct 2011)
UN urge Malawi to arrest Bashir (Oct 2011)
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