(ahramonline) - Britain has called on Chad to arrest Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir when he visits N'Djamena for a regional summit and hand him over to the ICC.
Chad is a signatory to the Rome Statute and is thus legally bound to arrest Bashir, who the ICC wants to answer charges of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in the long running conflict in Darfur.
Several signatories to the Rome statute have variously failed to arrest Bashir, and as such he will be emboldened in his visit to Chad for talks with other central African leaders to discuss security issues including the operation against Islamist militants in Mali.
British minister for Africa Mark Simmonds said "If president Bashir is not arrested, this will be the third time the government of Chad has failed to implement warrants issued by the International Criminal Court for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide"
He added that "Chad has committed itself to full cooperation with the ICC, and I reiterate the importance that the British government places on such commitments."
"The UK expects Chad to stand by its obligations and will be disappointed if it does not do so."
In a formal notice to the government of Chad, the ICC reminded N'Djamena of its obligation to arrest Bashir.
While Libya is not a signatory to the Rome Statute, a note was sent to Tripoli amid reports that Bashir was to visit over the weekend.
