Sudan official, experts comment on international court charges - Al-Arabiya TV.

(From BBC Monitoring International Reports)

["Panorama" news programme featuring a 50-minute discussion, moderated by anchorwoman Muntaha al-Ramahi, on the Darfur Crisis and the International Criminal Court prosecutor's charges of war crimes against a Sudanese minister and a Jinjawid militia commander - live]

Dubai Al-Arabiya Television in Arabic at 1910 gmt on 27 February, carries within its live "Panorama" news programme a 50-minute discussion, moderated by Anchorwoman Muntaha al-Ramahi, on the International Criminal Court's [ICC] prosecutor charging a former Sudanese minister and one of the Jinjawid militia commanders of perpetrating crimes against humanity in Darfur.

Al-Ramahi first presents a two-minute report by Muhammad Bin-Thabit on the background of the case. She then cites a recorded one-minute statement by Sudanese Justice Minister Muhammad Ali al-Mardi, telling Al-Arabiya that "the ICC is absolutely not specialized in dealing with any cases in the first place," noting that its Charter states that the court shall not hold trials of nationals from a certain state "unless the judiciary in that state is not willing or unable to hold such a trial."

Al-Ramahi then presents her guests: Siraj-al-Din Hamid, director of the Peace Administration and official in charge of humanitarian issues at the Sudanese Foreign Ministry, via satellite from Khartoum; Dr Jibril Ibrahim, adviser to the leader of the Justice and Equality Movement, via satellite from London; and Ibrahim Ali Ibrahim, a lawyer specialized in international law, via satellite from Washington.

Al-Ramahi begins the discussion by asking Siraj-al-Din Hamid about the Sudanese government's reaction to the ICC prosecutor's announcement, noting that "we cannot forget that the UN Security Council itself requested an investigation of this issue." Hamid replies: "Sudan adopts an unchangeable position, which I would like to explain in several points. In general, the rules of international law state that Sudanese courts are responsible for such trials because the suspects are Sudanese and the crime that was allegedly perpetrated, occurred in Sudan. Sudan of course is an independent state with a constitution, laws, and judicial and justice …