By Andrew Heavens
KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan released an Islamist opposition leader on Monday, two months after he was detained for calling on President Omar Hassan Al-Bashir to surrender to the International Criminal Court.
Hassan al-Turabi, 76, flown to his home in the capital Khartoum in the early hours without explanation, made clear he had not changed his view that Bashir should give himself up to the court which issued an arrest warrant last week.
"Of course, no doubt about it," said Turabi at this home, where scores of well-wishers had gathered. "The more justice we have...the more we improve our international relations."
The Hague-based court issued a warrant against Bashir last week to face charges of orchestrating war crimes in the western Darfur region, where international experts say almost six years of conflict have killed over 200,000 people.
Turabi, Bashir's close political and religious ally until a split in 1999-2000, had said the president should submit to the court to save Sudan from sanctions and political turmoil that would follow if he resisted.
Bashir has defied the court and drawn international condemnation for expelling more than a dozen aid agencies.
Most opposition figures in Sudan have said little about the case or rallied round the president, describing the charges as a Western and Zionist plot against Sudan.
SPIRITUAL LEADER
Turabi, leader of the Islamist Popular Congress Party and a central figure in Sudan for decades, was the spiritual mentor behind Bashir's government when it took power in a 1989 coup.
In the 1990s when Sudan hosted al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, Turabi was widely seen as the driving force behind Khartoum's promotion of militant Islamist groups.
Turabi told reporters his health was good, although his son Siddig said his father had lost weight.
Turabi, who said he would consult his party before deciding on his political future, also criticised Bashir's decision to close 13 foreign and three local aid groups, which the president had accused of helping the international court.
"That wasn't fair," Turabi said. "I don't know why they did it...it was probably an act of anger."
On Sunday, Bashir -- brandishing a sword at a rally in Darfur -- threatened to expel diplomats and more aid groups.
"We will expel anyone who goes against Sudanese law, whether they are voluntary organisations, diplomatic missions or security forces," said Bashir.
Before the expulsions, the United Nations and aid groups were running the world's largest humanitarian operation in Darfur.
Bashir Adam Rahman, secretary for international affairs in Turabi's party, was also released, Siddig said.
(Editing by Matthew Tostevin)
