PUTRAJAYA June 19 — Faced with flak Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak defended today his government’s controversial decision to invite presidents Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe and Omar Al-Bashir of Sudan to the ongoing Langkawi International Dialogue LID saying Malaysia was not bound by a global treaty governing crimes against humanity The two African leaders are infamous globally for purportedly violating the human rights of their respective nation’s citizens Al-Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court ICC for war crimes in his home country Mugabe the 87-year-old Zimbabwean president who had been strongly condemned by the global community as a tinpot dictator arrived at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport yesterday morning His 67-year-old Sudanese counterpart however skipped the three-day LID citing “unforeseen circumstances” Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman said “We are not yet a member of the Statute of Rome Therefore we are not obliged to comply with the decision Therefore it is not illegal for us to invite President Bashir to dialogue ” Najib told a news conference today referring to the international treaty that led to the set up of the ICC to try individuals for crimes against humanity such as genocide and other acts of violence A total of 114 countries have signed up to date “Malaysia can be an interlocutor ” the PM said adding he was acutely aware of the restive situation in the southern hemisphere and strong local opposition to the invitation but stressed Malaysia could help influence certain policies that may result in positive action in the two troubled African nations “We are not constrained by political ideologies We think it is still useful for us to invite Mr Mugabe although we are acutely aware of his position in the Commonwealth ” he added explaining that the whole purpose to the LID was for Malaysia to network and understand and share experiences with its African partners Najib told reporters he had met the leaders of Zimbabwe Uganda and Swaziland on the sidelines of the economic forum today and talked about how to bolster bilateral trade and investment human capacity building and encourage more students from their countries to study in Malaysia He said he had tried to encourage Malaysian businesses to open shop there but said the latter group expressed concern with the business and political climate in the southern continent especially in Zimbabwe “This point I raised with Mr Mugabe He said it was a matter of perception Zimbabwe will have to do a lot more to assuage the impression of Malaysian businessmen ” Najib said Zimbabwe’s economy which grew 5 9 per cent last year presents ample opportunities in various sectors ranging from agriculture mining and manufacturing to logistics and telecommunications Malaysia’s state news agency Bernama reported today in an interview with Mugabe who said he was in town to woo investors.

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