Sudan's Bashir overshadows Arab summit

DOHA, Qatar, March 30 (UPI) -- The presence of Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir overshadowed talks on the Palestinian issue Monday at the 21st Arab Summit in Qatar.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad addressed Arab leaders at the annual summit Monday, calling for support for the Sudanese president, who has a warrant out for his arrest by the International Criminal Court on war crimes charges. Qatar does not recognize the ICC.

Bashir had met earlier with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who is in Qatar to attend the regional summit.

Assad questioned the credibility of the United Nations and other international regimes on the issue of the Bashir warrant, saying it was duplicitous to raise concerns over Sudan while ignoring the plight of the Palestinians, the official Syrian Arab News Agency reports.

Also on the agenda at the two-day summit is the latest assault by the Israeli military on the Gaza Strip following repeated rocket attacks by Hamas militants. Arab leaders are divided over the issue, and a boycott of the Qatar summit by Egypt lessens the chance for solidarity on the issue.

Apart from those conflicts, Arab leaders plan to discuss ways to cooperate in the economic and cultural sectors as well as take a unified position on regional nuclear disarmament.

Damascus hosted the 2008 Arab summit. Assad handed the presidency of the Arab League over to Qatar during the opening session Monday.