Sana'a, Yemen  - Yemen denounced the decision by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Wednesday to issue an arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, describing it as a "dangerous precedent."

In a statement carried by the official Saba news agency, an official source said Yemen "staunchly condemns" the arrest order that "sets a dangerous precedent of a flagrant interference in countries' internal affairs."

Cairo  - Officials gathered at the Arab League's headquarters in Cairo on Wednesday said they feared an international arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir could harm efforts to strike a peace deal in Darfur.

"We support the conduct of justice," Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa said after an emergency meeting of the 22-member body to discuss the court's decision. "But we fear for the stability of Darfur."

Sudanese demonstrators were defiant, while the response was mixed around the world Wednesday to the International Criminal Court announcement that it was seeking the arrest of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on war crimes and crimes against humanity charges.

Thousands of al-Bashir's supporters rallied in the capital Khartoum, shouting "God is great" and "With our souls and our blood we defend you, al-Bashir." They also carried banners that read, "Shame, shame, (ICC chief prosecutor Luis Moreno) Ocampo is an ass."

Moscow  - Warning about the danger of further instability in Sudan, Russia on Wednesday reacted with scepticism to the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.

The ICC decision could further destabilize the situation in Sudan, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman warned, according to the Itar- Tass agency.

Mikhail Margelov, foreign policy spokesman for the Federation Council of Russia, commented that al-Bashir "must without a doubt answer for the crimes" in the Darfur.

Amman - Jordanian political parties and trade unions on Wednesday staged a sit-in to protest the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir for alleged atrocities in Sudan's Darfur region.

The participants, who gathered outside the Trade Unions Complex, chanted slogans and raised placards in support of the Sudanese president and accused the ICC of being a "tool in the hands of the United States, Israel and other anti-Arab powers."

Washington - British Prime Minister Gordon Brown on Wednesday urged the United States and other countries to resist protectionist policies while trying to cope with the worldwide economic crisis.

Brown became the fifth British prime minister to address a joint session of the US Congress during his visit to Washington to discuss the economic downturn with President Barack Obama.