Cairo: Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who is facing an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court (ICC), arrived in Cairo on Tuesday for an official visit. Bashir is the first Arab leader to visit Egypt since the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak on February 11. Bashir held talks with Marshal Hussein Tantawi, head of the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), and other senior Egyptian Officials. He was accompanied by a number of high-rank officials and ministers, including his Foreign Minister. Bashir praised the Egyptian revolution and said his visit underscores Sudan's support for the Egyptian people during this historical phase, reported Sudanese official news agency SUNA. It is not the first time for Bashir to visit Egypt since the issuance of the ICC Warrant. He previously visited Mubarak, who was a key ally for the Sudanese President, frequently since his indictment for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide in Darfur in 2009. Egypt is not a signatory to the International Criminal Court. MENA and SUNA reported that Tantawi held talks with Bashir to discuss the developments of the events in the region and ways to strengthen bilateral ties. The visit is a “shame,” a female Sudanese activist who fled Sudan following threats by the regime told Bikya Masr. “A war criminal visits the land of martyrs on such an honorable day, is such a disgrace and comes in contrast to the 25 January revolution objectives.” She condemned the timing of the visit which coincided with International Women's Day, as women suffer in Sudan from flogging and rape under the Sudanese regime. BM
