Cape Town– International Relations and Cooperation Minister Naledi Pandor says that detaining Russian President Vladimir Putin in accordance with an arrest warrant by the International Criminal Court (ICC) is complicated.
Speaking during an interview with Newzroom Afrika, Pandor said many factors were involved.
The ICC issued an arrest warrant against Putin in March, meaning South Africa, due to host the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (Brics) bloc summit in August, would have to detain him on arrival.
The warrant against Putin stemmed from accusations that Russia unlawfully deported Ukrainian children.
“I’m aware in terms of the Rome treaty, which I think all of us need to read quite carefully that the ICC asks countries to assist with executing a particular warrant. So it’s not an automatic execution.
“So I think that’s something all of us need to pay attention to. I think we all got very excited at the announcement of the ICC and so we were not quite looking at what the treaty says, what our own national law says.
“And we need to take all of this into account before making a final determination. I also think there are issues that you are fully alert to that heads of state do not come to any country without security support and so on. And that there are nationals of other countries who support their heads of state and so on.
“So there are so many issues that one needs to take into account. It’s not simply a matter of arresting,” Pandor said.
International Relations Minister Dr Naledi Pandor tells @XoliMngambi that arresting Russian President, Vladimir Putin, in accordance with an arrest warrant by the ICC is not simple. She says many factors complicate the issue.
Watch: https://t.co/2kPwiW94pO pic.twitter.com/JAy6fFxsCx
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) May 1, 2023
Pandor’s remarks came after DA leader John Steenhuisen indicated his support for calls for Putin to be arrested if he came to South Africa.
“I think that any responsible president would advise Putin given the ICC arrest warrant that he should perhaps not come.
“But if he does come, I think SA is obliged if it’s for the rule of law and (if you) govern according to the constitutional principles you would be obliged to execute that arrest warrant. If he is here we have the legal obligation. The principle of the rule of law means that the equality before the law and SA is oblige to execute that. We have not left the ICC. We’ve remained signatories. Putin must be arrested,” SABC quoted Steenhuisen as saying.
Pandor, however, maintained that South Africa will continue to call for a ceasefire in the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“As a country, we don’t want war because we know what conflict does to a nation and so I have appealed both to Ukraine, to Russia and to the international community, let us use the best diplomatic efforts to bring the two parties together and to have a settlement because war and conflict are destructive, people die every day, and we want to end this conflict,” EWN quoted Pandor as saying.
Pandor has been criticised for taking a stand on the war in Sudan and not Ukraine, the report said.
Follow African Insider on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Picture: Getty Images
For more African news, visit Africaninsider.com
Compiled by Betha Madhomu
