Nairobi, Oct 29 (IANS) UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson has said the security council will not discuss Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta’s request for deferring his trial on crimes against humanity.
“There is the need to balance international criminal justice and face the reality that the leadership has a responsibility to lead in the fight against the threat of terrorism,” reported Xinhua citing Eliasson, who held a weekend meeting with President Kenyatta Monday.
The African Union (AU) has dispatched a delegation to the UN to present its view that no trial should commence against President Kenyatta until his request to defer the trial is heard and a decision made to allow the Kenyan leadership deal with threats.
“I cannot pronounce myself on the possibility of a UN Security Council decision. This is up to the Security Council to pronounce itself,” Eliasson said.
Kenyatta, his deputy William Ruto and a radio broadcaster Joshua arap Sang face crimes against humanity at the Hague-based ICC, which holds them responsible for the 2007-2008 post-election violence in which over 1,000 people were killed.