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- The Associated PressISTANBUL — Turkey said Sunday that Sudan's internationally indicted leader, President Omar al-Bashir, will not attend a conference of Muslim nations in Istanbul.
AP Photo
FILE - In this Jan. 21, 2008 file photo, Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir seen during a news conference with his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul, not pictured, in Ankara, Turkey.Turkey should arrest Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir if he visits Istanbul because of an international warrant against him for atrocities in Darfur, human rights groups said Friday, Nov. 6, 2009. Omar al-Bashir will reportedly arrive in Istanbul on Monday for a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Conference, a bloc of Muslim countries. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Afghan President Hamid Karzai are also expected to attend the meetings.
Turkey had faced criticism for its planned welcome of al-Bashir, who is the first government leader to face international war-crimes charges.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan had said al-Bashir would be welcome at Monday's Istanbul summit of the 57-nation Organization of the Islamic Conference. Erdogan also downplayed accusations that al-Bashir and his regime orchestrated the slaughter, rape and mass expulsion of African natives in Darfur.
But the Turkish government said Sunday night it had been informed that al-Bashir would not attend the summit.
"We have received information that the Sudanese president will not attend the IOC (Organization of the Islamic Conference) meeting," a senior government official told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity in line with government policy.
Turkey does not recognize the authority of the International Criminal Court, the Hague, Netherlands-based body that in March issued an arrest warrant for al-Bashir.
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