KHARTOUM: Sudan said yesterday it had applied for a US visa to let its president travel to the UN General Assembly in New York, despite international arrest warrants against him over charges of masterminding war crimes in Darfur.
Washington earlier said it had received the application, calling the request “deplorable” given Omar Hassan al-Bashir’s indictment by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
A senior State Department official said Bashir would “not receive a warm welcome” if he were to travel to the UN meeting.
“I am not going to speak to the specifics of this case, but typically as a host nation the United States is generally obligated to admit foreign nationals, but visas broadly speaking can be restricted,” the official added.
The United States is not a member of the Hague-based ICC so would not be legally bound to hand the president over. But it has led calls for Bashir to face international justice.
REUTERS
