RIYADH (AFP) – Saudi Arabia said Monday it was “disturbed” by the arrest warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir on charges of crimes against humanity and pledged to stand by Sudan over threats to its sovereignty.

“The council of ministers said the kingdom is concerned and disturbed by the International Criminal Court's decision to arrest his Excellency President Omar Hassan al-Beshir,” Information Minister Abdul Aziz al-Khoja said following a cabinet meeting led by King Abdullah.
“This will not solve the problems in Sudan. On the contrary, it will exacerbate them,” he added in a statement carried by SPA state news agency.
“The kingdom will stand by Sudan in facing all that could threaten its sovereignty and territorial unity,” he added.
The ICC on Wednesday issued its first ever arrest warrant against a sitting head of state. Beshir, 65, faces five counts of crimes against humanity and two of war crimes.
Sudan has vowed not to cooperate with the court and many African and Arab states along with Sudan's key ally China have called for the warrant to be suspended.
The United Nations says up to 300,000 people have died and some 2.5 million have been displaced from their villages since conflict broke out in Darfur in 2003, when ethnic minority rebels took up arms against the Arab-dominated regime for a greater share of resources and power.
The Sudanese government puts the death toll at 10,000.