Chinese leader tells Sudan of genocide case concerns

BEIJING (Reuters) - China is concerned about an International Criminal Court case against Sudan's president for alleged genocide in Darfur and its impact on the peace process, a senior Chinese leader told a visiting Sudanese official on Tuesday.

China, one of Sudan's top oil customers and arm-sellers to Khartoum, has said it worries a move by the ICC's chief prosecutor to indict President Omar Hassan al-Bashir over allegations of genocide and other crimes could derail peace prospects in Darfur.

The ICC chief prosecutor has accused the Sudanese leader of orchestrating a campaign of genocide that has killed 35,000 people outright, at least another 100,000 through "slow death" and forced 2.5 million from their homes.

South Africa and Libya, backed by Russia and China, have pressed to have the U.N. Security Council suspend the court action against Bashir, after the Arab League and the African Union expressed concern that it could harm efforts to end the five-year-old conflict in Darfur.

Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping told visiting Sudan Finance Minister Awad Ahmed al-Jaz that his government was "paying very close attention" to the issue and obliquely stressed China's support for suspension.

"Relevant sides should place importance on the Arab League and African Union's position on the Darfur issue, move with caution and avoid disturbing and harming the Darfur peace process," Xi was quoted by state television as saying.

The U.N. Security Council was split on Monday over a proposal by Libya and South Africa to include a provision halting the ICC moves in a resolution to extend the mandate of a joint U.N.-African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID).

But the United States, France and other Western countries want the two issues kept separate.

UNAMID, which took over from struggling African Union peacekeepers on December 31, is supposed to deploy 26,000 troops and police in Darfur as part of the world's largest U.N. peace-keeping mission, but only 9,000 are on the ground.

"The Chinese side believes that the international society should focus on the deployment of the 'hybrid force' as quickly as possible and achieve concrete progress in the political process in Darfur," Xi said.

China's strong ties to Sudan have proved a lightning rod for criticism by rights groups in the lead-up to the Beijing Olympics starting August 8.

Film director Steven Spielberg embarrassed Beijing earlier this year by withdrawing as an artistic adviser to the Olympics because of China's policy on the Darfur conflict.

(Reporting by Ian Ransom; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)