Amman- Jordanian political parties and trade unions on Wednesday staged a sit-in to protest the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for alleged atrocities in Sudan's Darfur region. The participants, who gathered outside the Trade Unions Complex, chanted slogans and raised placards in support of the Sudanese president and accused the ICC of being a "tool in the hands of the United States, Israel and other anti-Arab powers."
"All Jordanian political and popular forces condemn the ICC arrest warrant and raise the question why the ICC charges President al-Bashir and fails to charge (former US President George W) Bush who killed millions of Iraqis and Afghans, and Israeli leaders who committed war crimes in Gaza," said Salem Falahat, rotating leader of the Trade Unions Forum.
"We stand behind President al-Bashir and the Sudanese government in resisting this unjust decision by the Hague-based tribunal which acts on behalf of the Arab nation's foes," he added.
Jordanian government has meanwhile withheld immediate comment on the ICC move, but Minister of State for Information Affairs and Communication Nabil al-Sharif told reporters on Tuesday that Jordan would "follow the Arab consensus" in dealing with any ICC decision to charge al-Bashir for war crimes.
