MOSCOW. July 18 (Interfax-AVN) - Sudan hopes that Russia will help settle the situation after the International Criminal Court prosecutor demanded Sudanese President Umar al-Bashir's arrest over the situation in Darfur.
"We have requested that Russia make its position clear on this issue. We asked Russia, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, to make use of its influence, connections and contacts to dispel this specter over Sudan," Sudanese Ambassador to Russia Shol Deng Alak said at a news conference in Moscow.
"Russia is our friend in the international arena and it has always supported efforts to safeguard peace in Sudan," he said.
The Hague Court prosecutor's demand "is very dangerous, since it requires the arrest of the president of a sovereign state, which did not sign the Rome Charter and is not a member of the International Criminal Court," he said.
"A demand like this is undermining trust in international justice, is at variance with international law and indicates that different standards are being applied to different regions and countries," the ambassador said.
"The country is on its way to democracy. Why should the world community be set against [Sudan] over the Hague court prosecutor's demand, when the country is on its way to democracy?" the diplomat said.