Sudan's Bashir to visit Turkey despite warrant

By Opheera McDoom

KHARTOUM (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.

Asked if Turkish authorities would arrest Bashir during his visit, a Turkish Foreign Ministry official said on condition of anonymity: "No, there are no such plans."

A public outcry about Bashir's visit to Turkey could still cause it to be cancelled, which would embarrass Khartoum, one Sudanese analyst said.#

Activists said there was sure to be opposition from civil society to the visit, adding Turkey had obligations to arrest Bashir as a U.N. member.