Reports: EU asks Turkey to rethink al-Bashir visit

The European Union asked Turkey to reassess its invitation to Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, wanted by a U.N. court for war crimes, the Reuters news agency reported Friday, citing an anonymous Foreign Ministry source.

Al-Bashir is set to attend a meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, or OIC, in Istanbul this weekend. He is wanted by the International Criminal Court, or ICC, on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur.

Turkish President Abdullah Gül responded to journalists’ inquiries later on Friday about reconsidering al-Bashir’s visit, the Anatolia news agency reported.

“This is a regional meeting, and as members of international organizations we understand it as such,” he said. “Therefore, we will treat all members equally.”

“Why are they getting involved?” he asked.

An anonymous Turkish government official also told Agence France-Presse on Friday that al-Bashir would not be arrested during his stay in Turkey.

The OIC has invited al-Bashir to an economic summit in Istanbul, and he is expected to be in the city on Sunday and Monday, barring a last-minute change.

"They responded positively to the invitation, and we assume he will be coming, but things may change at the last moment," the Turkish government official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

"To arrest him after having invited him does not seem probable to me," the official said.

The official explained that Ankara is not a signatory of the ICC treaty and "therefore its decisions are not legally binding for Turkey."

Moreover, the arrest warrant for al-Bashir has not been backed up by any U.N. Security Council resolution, she said, adding that Turkey was only the host of the Istanbul meeting, with the list of invitations drawn up by the OIC.

The official conceded Turkey might face criticism from the European Union, which it is seeking to join, and which "has made demands for Turkey to sign the ICC treaty."

The ICC issued the arrest warrant for al-Bashir in March, making him the first sitting president to face such action. The Sudanese leader faces charges on five counts of crimes against humanity and two of war crimes in the western region where the U.N. estimates that up to 300,000 people have died since 2003.

Turkey voiced concerns at the time that the warrant might prove counter-productive for efforts to stabilize conflict-torn Sudan.

A string of African and Arab states along with Sudan's key ally China also slammed the warrant.

Last year, Turkey's government came under fire for hosting al-Bashir twice: a bilateral visit in January and then at multilateral cooperation talks with African leaders in August.