African Leaders Oppose International Criminal Court

African leaders at this year’s summit in Libya are on a collision course with the International Criminal Court, as the dispute continues over the court's warrant for the arrest of Sudan's President Omar el-Bashir.

A resolution drafted by the African Union Commission and being discussed at the AU Summit in the Libyan town of Sirte, recommends that they should not co-operate with the court over the arrest and surrender of 'indicted African personalities'.

The court has indicted a total of 14 people - all of them Africans. President John Evans Atta Mills is attending for the first time. The three-day summit is on the theme, 'Investing in Agriculture for Economic Growth and Food Security.'

Meanwhile, the Kenyan government has sent a number of cabinet ministers to the Hague to try and stave off possible International Criminal Court prosecutions.

Their aim is to explain to the Court's Chief Prosecutor, Luis Moreno Ocampo, the reason for the delay in the setting up of a local tribunal to try suspected ringleaders of last year's post-election violence.

The Chief Mediator of the conflict, former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, last month said that he would hand over names of suspects to the ICC if Kenya failed to set up the tribunal by the end of next month.

Meanwhile, African leaders have been urged to commit more resources to agriculture to reverse the escalating food crisis, and to end the renewed violence in parts of the continent.

Dr Jean Ping, President of the African Union (AU) Commission, opined that the continent had the means which, coupled with enough external support, would enable her to overcome the food crisis and regain her position as a continent that mattered.

In his address at the 13th Ordinary Session of the assembly, presided over by AU Chairman and Libyan Leader MuamarAl-Qathafi, in Sirte, Libya, Dr Ping noted that economic growth in some African countries in the last five years before the global financial crisis, gave hope that African leaders could reverse the crisis.

He said the union was determined in its pursuit of efforts to address the economic crisis to satisfy the daily aspirations of the people.

Until recently, agriculture had often been neglected in the national budget plans of some African countries, and women and children bore the brunt of hunger and malnutrition, resulting in children's stunted growth and ultimate slow long-term development.

As food prices continue to fluctuate and remain higher than the poorest can afford, some countries have resorted to the system of barter to obtain the necessary food imports.

United Nations (UN) estimates show that about 625 million people currently go hungry in sub-Saharan Africa.

The 13th AU summit was previously scheduled for Madagascar, but membership of that country was suspended in March, due to a political stalemate there, and hence the cancellation of its hosting of the summit.