Malawi wary of visit by Sudan's al-Bashir

BLANTYRE, Malawi – Malawi's new president is wary of welcoming her Sudanese counterpart, accused of war crimes, to a continental summit in July.

Speaking at a news conference Friday, Joyce Banda said a visit by Sudan's president would be frowned upon by Malawi's international donors. But she says the final decision on whether he will be invited to an African Union summit "will have to be arrived at through a consultative process."

Banda's predecessor Bingu wa Mutharika, who died in April, welcomed Omar al-Bashir at a regional summit last year. The Sudanese leader has visited African, Asian and Middle Eastern countries despite International Criminal Court warrants for his arrest on charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in Sudan's Darfur region.