China defends Omar al-Bashir trip

21 June 2011 Last updated at 11:19 GMT Rights groups say Omar al-Bashir's visit could make China a "safe haven" for genocide suspects Chinese officials have defended a decision to invite Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir to China next week, after criticism from rights groups.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said his government had every right to invite Mr Bashir, whom China has supported for many years.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Mr Bashir for genocide and war crimes in 2009.

But Mr Hong said China was not signed up to the ICC.

"China has reserved its opinion towards the International Criminal Court lawsuit against President Omar al-Bashir," he said.

"President Bashir has been visiting other countries on a number of occasions and has been warmly welcomed by those countries."

Since the ICC issued its arrest warrant, Mr Bashir has visited countries including Eritrea, Egypt, Libya and Qatar - none of whom are signed up to the ICC.

He also visited Kenya, which decided not to detain him despite being a signatory to the ICC's treaty. The treaty obliges signatories to detain anyone wanted by the court.

Amnesty International last week urged China to arrest the Sudanese leader.

The organisation's Catherine Baber said China would become a "safe haven for alleged perpetrators of genocide" if the country did not detain him.

The ICC has charged Mr Bashir with crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide over alleged atrocities in Sudan's Darfur region.

China has invested heavily in Sudan, and has frequently voiced support for Mr Bashir's government.

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Sri Lanka defends military record

27 May 2011 Last updated at 07:43 GMT President Rajapaksa says his forces followed international human rights law Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has defended the conduct of the military during fighting at the end of the country's protracted civil war.

He was speaking at a huge military festival in Colombo to mark the two-year anniversary of the government's defeat of the Tamil Tiger rebels.

A UN panel of experts recently accused both sides of war crimes during the last days of the conflict in 2009.

The president rejected calls for an independent international inquiry.

The BBC's Charles Haviland in Colombo said that it was a defiant speech from a president who still garners great public support from the war victory.

Thousands of military personnel took part in a march-past and military hardware display, in a now regular ritual.

Our correspondent says that the focus of the commemorations remained very much on the soldiers who died in the war rather than the civilians.

President Rajapaksa did not refer directly to the UN-commissioned report, but said that his forces followed international human rights law as they fought the rebels.

"Our forces carried the firearm in one hand and the human rights charter in the other. Our forces never harboured hatred towards any community or individual," he said.

"Looking at how other countries fight wars, we are proud of the humanitarian nature of our operation.

"Therefore, when we see how some countries carry out operations against enemies today, we are proud."

The president paid tribute to the skill of his armed forces at the parade

The president told his troops he would stand by them.

"We were with you in the battlefield. It is same today," he said. "We will not betray you before the world."

The military went out of its way to help the families of killed Tamil Tiger leaders, the president said.

He said that revisiting the past would "simply reopen old wounds".

He also castigated remnants of the Tamil Tigers and their supporters in Europe and the US - accusing them of plotting to destroy his country.

The UN-commissioned report said that tens of thousands of civilians died in the final phase of the war - most of them killed in shelling by government forces.

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US envoy defends Bin Laden raid

16 May 2011 Last updated at 16:38 GMT John Kerry said the US and Pakistan were "strategic partners with a common enemy in terrorism and extremism"

US Senator John Kerry, on a visit to Pakistan, has publicly defended the raid by US special forces that led to the killing of Osama Bin Laden.

Mr Kerry said secrecy surrounding the raid had been crucial and did not reflect mistrust of Pakistan's leaders.

Pakistan is angry that it was not told in advance about the 2 May raid and that its sovereignty was violated.

Mr Kerry said it was now important to put relations between the two countries back on track.

In a televised address, Mr Kerry said that even Gen David Petraeus, the US and Nato commander in Afghanistan, had only learned about the operation shortly before it took place.

'Obama's discipline'

"I was informed by [US Secretary of State] Hillary Clinton through a call a few hours after the operation," Mr Kerry said.

"It was not a matter of trust but imperative of operational security. I respect the discipline that President [Barack] Obama showed in choosing this course and I ask all Pakistanis to understand that and to respect that.

"My goal in coming here is to talk [about] how we manage this important relationship. I am not here to apologise for what I consider a triumph against terrorism."

Mr Kerry said he had held "constructive conversations" with Pakistani leaders but reiterated "grave concerns" over the presence of Bin Laden in the town of Abbottabad.

He warned that US-Pakistani relations were at a critical point and said some members of US Congress were not confident that they could be fixed.

"The make or break is real. There are, as we know, many members of Congress who aren't confident that it can be patched back together again. And that is why actions but not words are going to be critical to earning their votes."

He added: "We have agreed on a specific series of steps that will be implemented immediately in order to get the relationship on track. That's actions, not words."

Mr Kerry said the two sides had agreed a number of steps to rebuild trust, but did not specify what those steps would be other than Pakistan had agreed to return the fuselage of a US helicopter that was damaged in the raid.

A joint statement issued after the talks said it had been agreed that the two countries would work together in any future actions against "high-value targets" in Pakistan.

Senator Kerry, who is chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, also said that Mrs Clinton planned to visit Pakistan soon.

The raid by US Navy Seals strained already tense ties between the US and Pakistan. Washington has expressed concern that the al-Qaeda chief was able to live for years only a short distance from a prestigious military training academy. Islamabad, stung by the criticism, insists that it is bearing the brunt of the fight against the Taliban and al-Qaeda.

Pakistan is a key ally of the US in the battle against Islamist extremism, and Washington has sent billions of dollars in aid to Islamabad. Critics in Washington have said that recent events mean this aid should be reviewed.

Analysts say that although many in the US Congress would like to cut aid to Pakistan, the US still needs supply routes through the country to its forces in Afghanistan, as well as the use of Pakistani airspace.

Mr Kerry is the first high-level US envoy to visit Pakistan since the killing of Bin Laden.

On Saturday, Pakistan's parliament condemned the Bin Laden raid and called for an end to unilateral action within its borders, including attacks on suspected militants by US drones.

It said logistical support for Nato troops in Afghanistan could be withdrawn if the strikes continued.

One senior Pakistani official said there remained a "difference of opinion" between the countries, "but we'll continue our co-operation with the world as well as the United States".

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