The African Union has agreed that it will no longer cooperate with the efforts of the International Criminal Court to bring Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir to trial.

The court, based in the Dutch city of The Hague, has issued a warrant for President Bashir in connection with alleged war crimes in Darfur but the AU leaders say the indictment is not in the interests of stability in the region. Their decision means that President Bashir is free to travel to other African countries without fear of arrest.

Over the last few days, the African Union has been holding a summit in the Libyan town of Sirte. At the summit, member states also decided to extend the Union's powers in the fields of defence and international trade. Libya's leader Muammar Gaddafi wants the AU to operate much like the European Union but many member states are against such far-reaching cooperation.

Photo: Flickr/Ammar Abd Rabbo