S. African president defends inaction to arrest Sudan leader al-Bashir

South African President Jacob Zuma on Thursday defended his government's inaction that let Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC), leave the country and avoid arrest in June.

The government could not arrest al-Bashir as he was in South Africa attending an African Union (AU) summit as a guest of the AU, Zuma told parliament.

The AU in 2013 decided that no sitting head of state in Africa should be sent to the ICC.

Zuma said the summit venue was an AU area where al-Bashir was granted immunity as agreed upon.

"That's why the minister of international relations and cooperation, 10 days before (the summit), gazetted the area that would be the AU area, from the airport to the specific areas where the head of states would be staying," Zuma said.

"He (al-Bashir) came here to do continental business. We have no right to violate the AU rules," Zuma said.

Al-Bashir left the country half way through the summit on June 14 despite a South Africa court that ordered him to stay.

The ICC accuses al-Bashir of anti-humanity crimes -- charges that al-Bashir denied.

The opposition Democratic Alliance has criticized the government for failing to detain al-Bashir in accordance with the ICC arrest warrant, arguing that South Africa is a signatory to the Rome Statute of the ICC. Enditem