ATLANTA, U.S.--Sudan has urged the African Union to move its July summit from Malawi to its Addis Ababa headquarters after the host nation's refusal to welcome President Omar al-Bashir, French News Agency (AFP) reported Thursday.

It quoted a foreign ministry statement saying Sudan had informed the pan-African bloc of its request on Wednesday after Malawi announced that Bashir "would not be welcome at this summit, upon a claimed adherence of Malawi to its obligations to the so-called 'International Criminal Court'."

Bashir is wanted by ICC at The Hague-based to answer charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in the country's Darfur region.

Malawi's new president Joyce Banda has said allowing the Sudanese leader to attend the summit in Lilongwe on July 9-16 since would damage her country's relations with donors.

AFP said "Khartoum accorded "the upmost importance" to the July summit, which required the participation of the country's leadership, given that the strained relations between Sudan and the South were on the agenda."

The ICC, which is the world's first permanent war crimes court, doesn't have its own police force and relies on state co-operation to have its suspects arrested.

Under current rules only ICC members, of which Malawi is one, are obliged to arrest Bashir.
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