AFRICA ( Commonwealth Union) _ South Africa is considering its options in the event that Vladimir Putin accepts an earlier offer to travel to the country for a summit in August, provided that the International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant.
A warrant for the Russian president’s arrest was issued on March 17 by a war crimes trial in The Hague in relation to the deportation of Ukrainian minors to that country. The Rome Statute of the ICC, which mandates that countries carry out the court’s international arrest warrants, has been ratified by South Africa.
Pretoria, however, is a close supporter of Moscow and has refrained from condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. It even went so far as to hold private discussions with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov earlier this year and host Russian warships in February for joint drills.
Naledi Pandor, South Africa’s minister for foreign affairs, said in an interview with local radio station SAfm that the government was awaiting an updated legal opinion on the matter before considering its options. The minister, however, resisted the idea of withdrawing Putin’s invitation to the BRICS meeting, which brings together Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. In August, the group’s leaders will gather in South Africa. His participation has yet not been confirmed by Moscow.
Pandor also chastised the ICC for favouring some states over others and for not taking what she called an even handed approach holding all leaders accountable for violating international law.
However, Darren Bergman, a member of the Democratic Alliance, the main opposition party in South Africa, said the government must uphold its ICC obligations. According to the Democratic Alliance, the Cabinet shouldn’t continue to extend invitations to President Putin and should instead revoke them, he stated that if they don’t, they should be prepared to serve President Putin with an arrest warrant.
There are numerous options available to the administration, according to Steven Gruzd, a Russia specialist at the South African Institute for International Affairs. It may sidestep the problem by holding a virtual BRICS summit, completely withdraw from the court, or most likely seek some form of diplomatic protection for Putin as a sitting head of state. However, The South African government’s Department of International Relations and Cooperation spokesperson, Lunga Ngqengelele, told VOA that the Cabinet would probably consider the issue this week.
