Sudan's Bashir to visit Turkey despite warrant

* Bashir to visit Turkey

* Trip tests Turkish stance on international justice

By Opheera McDoom

KHARTOUM, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir will visit Turkey next week for the first time since an international court asked for his arrest, government sources said, in a test of Ankara's support for international justice.

Predominantly Muslim Turkey has not ratified the 2002 Rome Statute that established the International Criminal Court (ICC), but it is under pressure to do so to bring it closer to European Union standards.

Rights groups say Turkey, anxious to secure entry into the EU, is obliged to arrest Bashir when he lands in Istanbul for a summit of Islamic nations.

One presidential source in Khartoum said on Wednesday: "The decision has been taken. Unless there are last minute changes, he is going."

Ankara's government, which has its roots in political Islam, has sought to deepen ties with Khartoum, putting it in an awkward position over the visit.