New York  - The United Nations respects the decision by the International Criminal Court to seek an arrest warrant for Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said Monday.

Ban called on the Sudanese government to cooperate with the joint UN-African Union peacekeeping operation in Sudan's Darfur region, which has been the target of attacks by armed militiamen allegedly with Khartoum's backing.

Ban issued the statement in Paris, where he was a guest of the French government on Bastille Day during which a national parade along the Champs Elysees included UN peacekeepers for the first time.

"The secretary general emphasizes that the ICC is an independent institution and that the United Nations must respect the independence of the judicial process," a UN spokesperson said.

"The United Nations peacekeeping operations in Sudan will continue to conduct their important work in an impartial manner, cooperating in good faith with all partners so as to further the goal of peace and stability in the country," the spokesperson said. "The United Nations will also continue its vital humanitarian and development work there."

The ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo on Monday sought an arrest warrant from the court for al-Bashir for crimes against humanity and genocide committed in Darfur's ethnic conflict, which has killed more than 300,000 people since 2003. (dpa)