TheCable

The South African government says Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) summit.

Putin had been invited to the summit which will take place in Johannesburg in August.

But the International Criminal Court (ICC) has issued an arrest warrant against Putin over alleged war crimes.

As an ICC member, Pretoria, would be expected to carry out the arrest warrant if the Russian president enters the country.

The Democratic Alliance, South Africa’s leading opposition party, had gone to court to compel the government to ensure that Putin is handed over.

South Africa was also reported to have been facing international pressure to execute the arrest warrant.

According to court papers released on Tuesday, responding in an affidavit, President Cyril Ramaphosa described the DA’s application as “irresponsible” and said arresting Putin would amount to a “declaration of war”.

But in a statement on Wednesday, the South African presidency said the summit will be attended by the leaders of only four countries — Brazil, India, China and South Africa.

“By mutual agreement, President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation will not attend the summit but the Russian Federation will be represented by Foreign Minister, Mr Sergey Lavrov,” the statement reads.

“In due course, a comprehensive statement on the substantive issues to be covered at the summit and other related foreign policy matters will be issued.

“President Ramaphosa is confident that the summit will be a success and calls on the nation to extend the necessary hospitality to the many delegates who will arrive from various parts of the continent and the globe.”

South Africa is the current chair of the BRICS group, which sees itself as a counter-balance to Western economic domination.