24-11-2024 10:25 PM Jerusalem Timing

Sudan’s Bashir Holds Talks with Mursi in Cairo

Sudan’s Bashir Holds Talks with Mursi in Cairo

Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court, arrived in Cairo on Sunday for talks with President Mohammad Mursi.

Sudanese President Omar al-BashirSudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court, arrived in Cairo on Sunday for talks with President Mohammad Mursi, officials said.

Bashir was met at Cairo's airport by Vice President Mahmoud Mekki and was due to hold talks with Mursi later in the day.

The two-day visit is his first to Egypt since Mursi's election in June, following a popular uprising last year that toppled Hosni Mubarak.

Both Egypt and Sudan have been reeling from violent protests sparked by the offensive film against Islam, produced in the United States, which insults the Prophet Mohammad (pubh).

Ahead of Bashir's trip, Amnesty International called on Egypt to withdraw its invitation to the Sudanese leader "and arrest him if he travels to Cairo."

"If Egypt welcomes Omar al-Bashir it will become a safe haven for alleged perpetrators of genocide," said Marek Marczynski, Amnesty International Justice Research, Policy and Campaign Manager.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued two arrest warrants in 2009 and 2010 against Bashir, who is accused of genocide and crimes against humanity in the western Sudanese region of Darfur.

Egypt, which is not a signatory to the Rome Statute, has in the past ignored the warrants, with Bashir visiting Cairo in 2009, weeks after the first warrant was issued, and in 2011 to meet the military rulers who took power after Mubarak's overthrow.