ICC maintains position on Sudan's president

THE HAGUE, Netherlands, July 16 (UPI) -- The International Criminal Court said Tuesday it was calling for the immediate arrest of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.

The BBC reported Tuesday the Sudanese president left an HIV conference hosted by the African Union in Nigeria following calls for his arrest. The ICC reminded the Nigerian government Tuesday it was obligated to international human rights laws as a party to the 2001 treaty creating the court.

"The [pre-trial] chamber instructed the ICC registrar to immediately transmit the decision to the Nigerian authorities, and to prepare a report to the chamber concerning Omar al-Bashir's visit to the Federal Republic of Nigeria," it said Tuesday.

The ICC said Bashir is wanted for five counts of crimes against humanity and two counts of war crimes for atrocities allegedly committed in Darfur.

Nigerian Minister of Foreign Affairs Olugbenga Ashiru told the Nigerian newspaper ThisDay the government was defending a decision to remain silent on the ICC charges.

"Remember AU in 2009 passed a resolution not to cooperate with the ICC indictment of President Bashir," he said. "He is not in Nigeria at our instance, Nigeria's commitment to the AU remains firm."