Brussels, 05/03/2012 (Agence Europe) - The decision of the International Criminal Court's Pre-Trial Chamber I on 1 March against Sudanese Defence Minister Abdelrahim Mohamed Hussein has been received by the EU as a step in the right direction in the struggle against impunity in Darfur (west of Sudan). In a declaration published on 5 March, the spokesperson for Catherine Ashton, affirmed that the EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy “has taken note of the decision of the International Criminal Court's Pre-Trial Chamber I on 1 March 2012 to issue an arrest warrant against Sudanese Defence Minister Abdelrahim Mohamed Hussein in connection with alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes committed in Darfur from August 2003 to March 2004.”. Ashton recalls the fundamental principle contained in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court that the most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole must not go unpunished. The declaration emphasises that “putting an end to impunity for the perpetrators of these crimes contributes to the prevention of such crimes”. (AN/transl.fl)