New York - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on the Sudanese government on Wednesday to cooperate with the joint UN- African Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur despite the arrest warrant issued against President Omar al-Bashir.

Berlin  - German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier called Wednesday for Sudan to respect the arrest warrant issued against President Omar al-Bashir by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Al-Bashir was charged earlier Wednesday with seven counts - five of crimes against humanity and two of war crimes - over his alleged role in masterminding a counter-insurgency against ethnic groups that oppose his government over some five years to 2008 in Darfur.

Khartoum - Thousands of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir's supporters gathered in the capital Khartoum on Wednesday as the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for the 65-year-old leader for his role in atrocities in the country's western Darfur region.

Supporters shouted "God is great" and "With our souls and our blood we defend you, al-Bashir." They also carried banners that read, "Shame, shame, Ocampo is an ass."

Amsterdam/Khartoum  - The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague will on Wednesday announce what is seen as perhaps its most important decision amid fears of a deterioration of the situation in Sudan and threats from African nations to withdraw its recognition of the fledgling United Nations court.

Judges of the fledgling ICC are due to announce Wednesday whether it will issue an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on charges of crimes against humanity, genocide and war crimes in Sudan's western Darfur region since 2003.

New York  - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday welcomed the agreement between the Sudanese government and a rebel group to release prisoners in Darfur.

The agreement between the government and main rebel group Justice and Equality Movement was signed on February 17 in Doha and mediated by the Qatar government.

"This represents a concrete step in the ongoing efforts to negotiate a peaceful settlement in the Darfur conflict," Ban said in a statement.

New York  - The UN Security Council on Tuesday welcomed an agreement between the Sudanese government and a rebel group to settle the conflict in Sudan's Darfur region.

The council debated the signing in Doha of an agreement of "good intentions" between Khartoum and the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), the main opposition group in Darfur fighting Arab militias backed by the Sudanese government.