The arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) would severely disturb political process of the Darfur region as well as peace and stability of the country, said a Chinese envoy in Beijing Thursday.

"China is deeply worried about this issue," Liu Guijin, the special representative of the Chinese government for Darfur, said in an interview.

"If the president was a criminal, how could the opposition faction consider him as a credible negotiator to seek political reconciliation?" Liu said the arrest warrant sent the wrong signal to rebel movements.

The ICC, set up in 2002 as the world's first permanent war crimes tribunal, issued the warrant on Wednesday, accusing Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir of orchestrating a campaign of genocide in Darfur, starting in 2003.

"Though judicatory justice is important for the Darfur region, it should not be acquired at the cost of peaceful process in the region," Liu said, noting that the international community should be responsible and committed to appeasing the situation in Sudan, but not fuel the already tense situation.

He said China had made wide communication and negotiation on the Darfur issue, in an effort to get the issue solved properly, since the chief prosecutor of the ICC brought a prosecution against the Sudanese president last July.

"China hoped the UN Security Council would respect and listen to the appeal of the African Union (AU), the League of Arab States and members of the Non-Aligned Movement, take necessary actions according to Article 16 of the Rome Statute, and demand the ICC suspend the investigation or prosecution of the case," Liu said.

The Rome Statute, signed in 1998 and implemented in 2002, formed the legal basis for the establishment of the ICC.

The Security Council, under the UN Charter, has the power to suspend ICC investigations or prosecution for up to one year at a time, according to Article 16.

Liu said,"the arrest warrant issued by the ICC at this very moment would create grave disturbance in dealing with related issues and probably cause turmoil in Sudan, which would have a severe impact on regional peace and stability."

Liu called on the international community to continue its efforts in pushing forward implementation of the 1769 UN resolution, in which the United Nations decided to start a joint AU-UN peacekeeping mission with a 12-month term.

The international community should overcome difficulties in logistics and equipment, and get the joint peacekeeping mission fully deployed as soon as possible, he said.

He also called on the international community to help achieve a comprehensive peaceful agreement through political negotiation, and offer assistance to the region for reconstruction and development.

As to the judicatory justice in the region, Liu called on the international community to respect and support the African nations' independent efforts in solving the issue.

"Generally speaking, some achievements have been made in solving the Darfur issue," Liu said, noting the signing of the agreement of goodwill and confidence-building for the settlement of the problem in Darfur by the Sudanese government and the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) in February created a favourable atmosphere for political settlement of the issue.

China always maintained that Sudan's sovereignty and territorial integrity should be respected and that the Darfur issue should be politically settled through equal dialogue and consultation, Liu said.

"China is ready to carry on joint efforts to solve the Darfur issue at an early date," he noted.

(Xinhua News Agency March 6, 2009)