Jordanian Lawmaker: ICC Decision to Refer Jordan to UNSC 'Political'

The decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to refer Jordan to the UN Security Council (UNSC) is a political step in light of Amman's opposition to the United States' recognition of Jerusalem as Israeli capital, Jordan's Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Raed Khaza'leh said Monday.

AMMAN (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, the ICC announced that it would refer Jordan to the Assembly of States Parties of the Rome Statute (ASP) and the UNSC over its failure to detain Sudanese President Omar Bashir, who is the subject of the ICC arrest warrant on the charge of genocide, during the Arab League summit in the country in March 2017. 

"The ICC decision regarding Jordan is a political one, taking into account the fact that Jordan now plays the major role in the protection of Jerusalem and opposes the US decision," Jordan's Parliament Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Raed Khaza'leh said.

On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump announced his decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital and instructed the US State Department to launch the process of moving the US Embassy, which is currently located in Tel Aviv, to Jerusalem. A day before Trump's move, King of Jordan Abdullah II held a phone conversation with the US president and warned him against any steps beyond the road map to a permanent two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which provides for the creation of a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital.

The Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates spokesman Mohammed Al-Kaed told Sputnik on Monday that the ICC decision on Jordan is discriminatory.

"The decision of the ICC Pre-Trial Chamber is discriminatory against Jordan, and the Jordanian government is exploring all possible political and legal responses to this decision," Al-Kaed said.

He added that this decision did not take into consideration neither the fact that the president of Sudan had immunity under international law nor other legal aspects. 

Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity, committed during the conflict in Darfur. The ICC issued its arrest warrant for Bashir in 2009, making the Sudanese leader the first incumbent head of state to be on the ICC wanted list. The president, who has been in power since 1989, earlier rejected the charges, calling any ICC ruling worthless.