SOUTH AFRICA President, Cyril Ramaphosa has said that his ruling African National Congress (ANC) party has agreed that his country should quit the International Criminal Court (ICC), which issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month.
Ramaphosa described the decision as reasonable, pointing out that the court had treated some countries unfairly.
It might take up to two years, and all South Africans would be allowed to voice their views.
Eighteen-Eleven Media had on Sunday reported that President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to attend the 15th BRICS Summit in South Africa in August.
The development was confirmed by Prof. Anil Sooklal, ambassador-at-large for Asia and BRICS and South Africa’s BRICS sherpa (emissary).
Sooklal told TimesLIVE invitations had been sent out to all BRICS heads of state.
“How it works is that if the head of state has a conflict on the date proposed, they will inform us. If we hear nothing, then it is taken that they are all fine with it.”
He said the message South Africa was getting from other member countries was “that they have received the invitation and they are planning to attend”.
“I was in Moscow two weeks ago at the Russian sherpa and he said they are sending an advance team to South Africa to prepare for the attendance of the summit. If they send an advanced team, they are obviously going to be coming,” Sooklal said.
The ICC on 17 March 2023, issued international warrants of arrest for two individuals in the context of the situation in Ukraine: Mr Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and Ms Maria Alekseyevna Lvova-Belova.
Eighteen-Eleven Media