EU's Barroso says he warned Sudan on war crimes charges

(PARIS) - EU Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso said on Sunday he had warned Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir his country could face UN war crimes charges unless it worked to end the bloodshed in Darfur.

Beshir was Sunday chairing an emergency cabinet meeting over plans by the International Criminal Court to prosecute Beshir and other Sudanese leaders for alleged war crimes in the war-torn western province.

"I was two years ago in Khartoum and in Darfur itself. I spoke to president Beshir," Barroso told reporters on the sidelines of a Mediterranean summit in Paris.

"I said to him it would be better for him to show as soon as possible real comittment to cooperate with the United Nations and the international community. If not, some action like this one could happen."

The ICC's move to charge a sitting head of state has sparked fears of violent retaliation, while Sudan warns it could destroy the stalled peace process.

But Barroso said he hoped it would force the Sudanese government to work with the international community on Darfur.

"I hope that now, the Sudanese authorities cooperate in good faith with the international community and they help all of us to put an end to this terrible, appalling situation for the people of Darfur," he said.

The UN Security Council ordered the international court in 2005 to investigate those suspected of murder, rape and looting in Darfur, where it says up to 300,000 people have died and more than 2.2 million have been displaced since February 2003.

The Sudanese government says 10,000 have been killed.