Sudan's government on Tuesday rejected the international arrest warrant issued against President Omar al-Bashir for genocide, calling it a "political decision", dpa reported. On Monday the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague issued the warrant against al-Bashir on three counts of genocide - a charge it had previously stopped short of. The president was already wanted for war crimes and crimes against humanity, relating to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people in the western Sudanese region of Darfur. Speaking in the Gulf state of Qatar, Sudanese government spokesman Omer Adam Rahama said the new warrant sent "a negative message", that would make ongoing peace talks in Doha more difficult. However, rebel groups praised the ICC's decision. -- SPA
