BEIJING, March 6 (Chinese media) -- An arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Wednesday for Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir cast a shadow over the Darfur peace process.
The ICC's arrest warrant, the first of its kind for an incumbent head of a sovereign state since the founding of the Hague-based tribunal in July 2002, accused al-Bashir of seven offenses including war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Such an unprecedented decision in the history of international legislation will lead to political upheavals in Sudan and leave enormous impact on regional and global situation.
The Sudanese government on Wednesday rejected the warrant, and thousands of Sudanese took to the streets in protest while showing their support for al-Bashir and the Sudanese government.
The African Union (AU) said Thursday that it will send a delegation to lobby the UN Security Council to defer the warrant.
Some African countries have threatened to give up their ICC membership in protest against this decision and the international community also voiced concerns that the move might jeopardize Sudan's peace process.
On March 31, 2005, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1593, which said that people committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur should be brought to the ICC for trial.
Last June, the ICC announced the opening of an investigation into war crime suspects in Darfur on the basis of evidence collected during 2003 and 2004 in the area.
How come something that seems legal and reasonable met with such widespread challenges? The answer lies in that the ICC issued the warrant without taking into account the ongoing peace process in Darfur.
The arrest warrant against al-Bashir could seriously impede the peace process in Sudan, AU Commission Chairperson Jean Ping said Wednesday.
"The search for justice should be pursued in a way that does not impede or jeopardize the promotion of peace," said the AU chief in a statement.
"The untimely fulfillment of the ICC decision to arrest the president of Sudan will create a dangerous precedent in the system of international relations and could negatively affect the situation both inside Sudan and the overall situation in the region," said Russian special envoy to Sudan, Mikhail Margelov.
As the largest African country in terms of area that borders on many nations, a turbulent Sudan has no small bearing on regional peace and stability.
The intricacies of domestic conflicts among the government, the rebel groups and local tribes have made any progress on the Darfur issue extremely difficult. Therefore, people should cherish the hard-won progress by staying objective and calm when they evaluate the development in the country.
Some positive progress has been made in solving the Darfur issue thanks to the joint efforts of Sudan, the AU, the UN and the entire international community.
Currently, more joint AU-UN peacekeeping forces are being deployed to the region, and the parties concerned are working hard to push forward the political process there.
Meanwhile, the Darfur issue is closely linked with the problems in southern Sudan. The implementation of a peace treaty between the northern and southern parts of the country is at a critical juncture.
Not long ago, the Sudanese government held talks with the opposition Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) in Doha, which created favorable conditions for further political process in Darfur and peaceful solution of the Darfur issue.
The international community should try by all means to push forward the peace process. For all their importance, efforts to do justice to the Darfur issue should not be made at the expense of the peace process.
The international community should take heed of and respect the views of the member countries of AU, the Arab League and the Non-aligned Movement, and take into full consideration the negative consequences of ICC's move on peace and stability in the Darfur region.
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