Vienna - The international arrest warrant against Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir would encourage rebel groups in Darfur and destabilize the country, a senior Sudanese parliamentarian warned Thursday in Vienna.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague on Wednesday issued the warrant against al-Bashir on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the counter-insurgency campaign in Sudan's Darfur region.

"It's a carte blanche to the armed rebel movements to attack the sovereignty of the country, the stability of the people, and to destabilize it," said Mahdi Ibrahim, who chairs the foreign relations committee in the Sudanese Parliament.

The member of Sundan's ruling National Congress party, who was on a visit to Austria, claimed that the rebel Justice and Equality Movement (JEM) declared Thursday it would never again sit down in further peace talks with the government.

The JEM and the government signed an agreement of good intentions in Doha in mid-February to pave the way for a broader peace conference on Darfur. (dpa)