Inter-Palestinian dialogue in Cairo produced cautious welcome but less optimism prevailed in the wake of the ICC indictment of Omar Al-Bashir, as Doaa El-Bey found out Sherif Riad wrote that the indictment issued by the International Criminal Court to Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir put both Sudan and Al-Bashir in a deadlock which they may or may not get out of. He said dancing in the streets of Khartoum and expelling humanitarian organisations active in Sudan were not the best ways of dealing with the problem. The only hope is in the Arab and African ministerial delegation heading to the UN Security Council which might persuade it to defer the indictment for a year and call on it to assume its responsibilities in protecting security and stability in Sudan. Riad said Egypt was the first state to warn of the dangers of the unwise interference of the ICC in Darfur. Given that the security and stability of Sudan are part of those of Egypt, it was natural that Egypt was angered by the ICC ruling, which is why it has requested its execution to be postponed for a year. "The ICC indictment could lead to shaking Sudan's security and stability. Its repercussions could include dividing Sudan and drawing a new map for the region which would serve external parties which do not care to resolve the problem in Darfur," Riad wrote in the official daily Al-Akhbar. The independent daily Nahdet Masr dedicated an entire page to the indictment, as well as the Darfur issue. Ahmed Hassan said the indictment opens the door for horrifying scenarios in Sudan. It represents a prize to the rebel groups which have refused to respect any agreements signed with the central government, like the 2006 Abuja accord. It also encouraged other factions who did not sign a peace agreement with the government to carry on killing civilians under international protection and the legitimacy of the ICC. The indictment will help prevent the Sudan People's Liberation Movement from going ahead with the signed peace agreement two years before the referendum over the future of southern Sudan, which asks whether it will remain part of Sudan or become independent. In addition to thwarting all efforts to reach a peaceful political settlement in Darfur and refusing any Arab or African mediation, the indictment put Egypt closer to danger not only because of the Nile but because Sudan is part of Egypt's national security. In Nahdet Masr, Gamal Abdel-Gawad considered the ICC indictment the end of Al-Bashir. It humiliated him and it is impossible for a humiliated president to continue ruling his people. It is also difficult for state institutions to carry on with their job of running the state and serving the people while their leader is busy with his personal fate. Thus, at present, the people are victims of an international resolution as well as a president who is recruiting all state resources to defend himself. The economic situation would further deteriorate as long as the situation in Sudan does not change, especially when Western states are to impose sanctions on Khartoum if Al-Bashir refuses to bow to the ICC ruling. Abdel-Gawad believed Sudan's decision to expel a number of humanitarian organisations will further exacerbate the suffering of civilians who depend on these organisations for their basic needs. He described it as a retaliatory measure that harms the simple citizen in Darfur. Thus Al-Bashir's support is likely to wane domestically and abroad. The demonstration against the indictment in northern Sudan could shake Sudan's security in the long run without affecting international opinion. In addition, the support that most Arab and African states give Al-Bashir at present will not last for long as he will become a burden that no one will be willing to shoulder. Everybody will wish that Al-Bashir disappears because this is the only way out of the present situation. Adel Sabri wrote that before the issuance of the arrest warrant for Al-Bashir both the People's Assembly and Shura Council warned of a strong reaction to the extent that the writer envisioned both venues would turn into a battlefield or a tribunal to try whoever thinks of producing the warrant before its issuance. But, to Sabri's surprise, the People's Assembly resumed its sessions as if a warrant had never been issued. The Shura Council speaker declined to accept a call by journalists to convene a press conference to denounce the ruling. The writer emphasised in Al-Wafd, the mouthpiece of Al-Wafd Party, that the speakers of both councils know Al-Bashir's case quite well but preferred to stay clear. Makram Mohamed Ahmed questioned how a UN member state could follow Al-Bashir's plane on its way to the Arab summit in Doha and force it to land in order to kidnap a president who is still in power. He asked how ICC Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo could ask states to commit such an act even before the Security Council draws the mechanism for executing the ICC warrant. Moreno-Ocampo took such a stand although a Security Council resolution could be blocked if either Russia or China vetoed it or if the Security Council accepts a request by Islamic and Arab states to postpone the ICC indictment for a year. "The indictment shed light on the double standards of international justice. It is wrong to arrest Al-Bashir before taking all the necessary legal measures. Meanwhile, it is shutting its eyes to the war crimes committed by Israel against the Palestinians especially during the latest Israeli aggression against Gaza," Makram Mohamed Ahmed added in the official daily Al-Ahram. The most dangerous thing about the ruling is not about arresting Al-Bashir, but that it opens the door for havoc in Sudan as it wastes any chance for reconciliation between the central government and the rebels in Darfur and paves the way for division. Also in Al-Ahram, Amin Mohamed Amin wrote: "It is a pity that all our efforts are aimed at demanding from the Security Council a reprieve for Al-Bashir of one year. The request does not drop the accusations against him. "The ICC's attitude pushes us into promptly filing accusations against former president Bush for committing crimes against humanity in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as Israeli leaders for committing war crimes and genocide against Palestinians." Salah Montasser discussed in Al-Ahram the effects of the indictment. "The arrest warrant opens the gate for a new era in which presidents are deprived of their traditional immunity. It also holds them responsible in front of the people who elected them. "Arab and African countries are now in a position in which they have to defend Al-Bashir but criticise double standards of international justice."
