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Istanbul: Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir said the International Criminal Court's attempt to prosecute him for genocide and war crimes had only strengthened his position and he had no fear of extradition.
The court's chief prosecutor last month requested an arrest warrant for Al Bashir on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in Darfur.
But Al Bashir, in his first interview with an international news agency since then, said the move was strengthening his hand and that his country would fight the decision of court prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo.
"The decision of the ICC prosecutor is already soldifiying our internal front, the internal front of our Sudanese people, and that is the source of our power and we will fight their actions," Al Bashir said in Istanbul on Wednesday.
Al Bashir, who rarely gives interviews, looked relaxed on the last day of his three-day trip to Turkey, his first abroad since the prosecutor's announcement. The visit has added to doubts over whether other countries would be ready to arrest Al Bashir even if a warrant is issued.
Al Bashir is the first sitting head of state to be pursued by the International Criminal Court.
Al Bashir said he would continue to go overseas and did not fear following in the footsteps of leaders arrested and charged by other international courts, such as Bosnian Serb war crimes suspect Radovan Karadzic and former Liberian President Charles Taylor.
"We are very confident of our internal front and we don't give a damn about the precedents set by those going to court," said a smiling Al Bashir, sporting a diamond-studded watch.
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