International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo is expected on Monday to seek the arrest of Sudan President Omar al-Beshir on war crimes charges, though Arab and African leaders have warned of the fallout.
The US State Department has confirmed newspaper reports that Moreno-Ocampo will name the Sudanese leader when he unveils evidence to the court in a new case involving crimes in the country's war-stricken western Darfur region.
The prosecutor's office announced on Thursday he would present evidence and name suspects Monday for "crimes committed in the whole of Darfur over the last five years", but has so far refused to confirm Beshir would be targeted.
Khartoum, which rejects the ICC's jurisdiction and refuses to surrender two war crimes suspects already named, has warned the move could threaten peace efforts.
"If there is a decision about President Beshir, it may destroy the peace process," state minister for foreign affairs Al-Samani al-Wasila told AFP last week.
The African Union (AU), Arab League (AL) and Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) have also raised concern.
The AU's Peace and Security Council "expressed its strong conviction that the search for justice should be pursued in a way that does not impede or jeopardize efforts aimed at promoting lasting peace."
The AU said it would hold crisis talks on Sudan, while the IOC warned of "grave ramifications".
And as Darfur rebel groups welcomed the news, China's UN ambassador said plans to issue a warrant for Beshir would put peace prospects "in jeopardy".
About 1,000 demonstrators rallied in Khartoum Sunday, denouncing the anticipated charges at a government-sponsored protest as Beshir chaired an emergency cabinet meeting.
The United Nations, meanwhile, raised the security level for staff operating in Darfur.
The world body says up to 300,000 people have died since the Darfur conflict broke out in February 2003 between African ethnic minority rebels and the Arab-dominated regime and state-backed militias on the other.
Moreno-Ocampo's request for a warrant would mark the first ever bid by the ICC, based in The Hague, to charge a sitting head of state.
Judges would next examine the application to ascertain whether reasonable grounds existed to believe that a crime within the court's jurisdiction had been committed.
This could take several months.
