The African Union has called on its member states to disregard the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court against Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, a move that could weaken the ability of the world court to hold the Libyan leader accountable for crimes committed against his people, notes a report on the News24 site. The decision passed late on Friday states that the warrant against Gaddafi ‘seriously complicates’ efforts by the African Union to find a political solution to the crisis in Libya. AU chairperson Jean Ping said the ICC was ‘discriminatory’ and only goes after crimes committed in Africa while ignoring those committed by Western powers, including in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. ‘With this in mind, we recommend that the member states do not co-operate with the execution of this arrest warrant,’ said the motion, whose passage was confirmed by Daniel Adugna, a spokesperson in the AU commissioner’s office. The report notes that if the AU’s 53 member states abide by the decision, it opens the possibility that Gaddafi could avoid prosecution by seeking refuge on the soil of neighbouring nations.
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