Sudan President Omar al-Bashir's China visit delayed

A plane carrying Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir on his controversial trip to China has turned back without official explanation.

The plane returned to Iran, where Mr Bashir had attended an anti-terrorism conference.

Mr Bashir was due to have met China's President Hu Jintao on Monday.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant for Mr Bashir, accusing him of war crimes during the conflict in Darfur.

Human rights groups say China should not have invited Mr Bashir.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said his government had every right to invite Mr Bashir, as it is not a signatory to the ICC treaty.

"China has reserved its opinion towards the International Criminal Court lawsuit against President Omar al-Bashir," he said.

"President Bashir has been visiting other countries on a number of occasions and has been warmly welcomed by those countries."

Oil links

"The presidential plane was flying over Turkmenistan on Sunday, when they chose a new route," the foreign ministry said in a statement carried by Sudan's official Suna news agency.

He is now expected to arrive in China on Tuesday and is to meet Mr Hu on Wednesday.

Amnesty International said if China did not arrest Mr Bashir, the country would become a "safe haven for alleged perpetrators of genocide".

The ICC has charged Mr Bashir with crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide over alleged atrocities in Darfur.

China is a major investor in Sudan's oil industry, and has expressed concern that the arrest warrant could destabilise Sudan further.

Since the ICC issued its arrest warrant, Mr Bashir has visited countries including Eritrea, Egypt, Libya and Qatar - none of whom are signed up to the ICC.

He also visited Kenya, which decided not to detain him despite being a signatory to the ICC's treaty.

The treaty obliges signatories to detain anyone wanted by the court.