African Union agrees on ICC immunity for heads of state
Africa has agreed that sitting heads of state should not be tried by the International Criminal Court where Kenya's leaders are in the dock
Mr Kenyatta said he and members of his office would take the cut set by the salaries commission Photo: EPA
1:51AM BST 12 Oct 2013
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Foreign ministers of the 54-member African Union also called for deferring the
cases of Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy, William Ruto, after
a meeting to discuss Africa's relations with the court based in The Hague.
"It should be underscored that our goal is not and should not be a crusade
against the ICC, but a solemn call for the organisation to take Africa's
concerns seriously," Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn said in
an opening address.
Leaders meeting in Addis Ababa at the AU headquarters are expected to endorse
the recommendations hammered out by ministers in Friday's meeting that
extended past midnight.
Following that session, Ethiopian Foreign Minister Tedros Adhanom said trying
Kenya's president and his deputy infringed on that nation's sovereignty. The
two men deny charges that they orchestrated a killing spree after a disputed
2007 election.
Frustration with the ICC has been growing in Africa because the court has
convicted only one man, an African warlord, and all others it has charged
are also Africans.
