African Union Pushes To Postpone Darfur Genocide Indictment
By ANITA POWELL, Associated Press | July 22, 2008
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — The African Union will ask the U.N. Security Council to suspend action for a year on an indictment of President al-Bashir of Sudan on Darfur genocide charges, Nigeria's foreign affairs minister said yesterday.
The African Union will make the request to allow progress in negotiations to end the five year-old conflict in Darfur, Ojo Maduekwe told journalists at the end of an emergency meeting of the African Union's Peace and Security Council.
"Our concern is the timing and how this could impact on the peace process in Sudan," Mr. Maduekwe said.
If Mr. Bashir were removed from power and arrested, "the whole place could turn into one huge graveyard. That could happen," Mr. Maduekwe said.
