20100308
reuters

THE HAGUE (Reuters) - The International Criminal Court said on Tuesday it was issuing a summons to six suspects in Kenya's post-election violence, a move that could destabilise the country's coalition cabinet which is divided over the issue.

The ICC prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, in December named three Kenyan government ministers and a former police chief among six suspects behind the east African country's post-election violence in 2008.

All six suspects were summonsed to appear before the ICC on April 7 for an initial appearance. This would be followed by a confirmation of charges hearing, after which the court would then need to decide whether the suspects should stand trial.

Many members of Kenya's coalition cabinet want the country to exit the ICC.

Kenya's President Mwai Kibaki has requested the U.N. Security Council to defer the trials for a year and then have the cases heard in Nairobi, a plan backed by the African Union.

However, Prime Minister Raila Odinga opposes the move, saying the trials should be held at The Hague.

Prominent among the six suspects are finance minister and deputy prime minister Uhuru Kenyatta, son of Kenya's founding father Jomo Kenyatta, and William Ruto, the higher education minister who has been suspended to fight a corruption case.

The rest are cabinet secretary Francis Muthaura, former Industrialisation Minister Henry Kosgey, who quit the cabinet to fight separate corruption charges in court, former police chief Mohammed Hussein Ali and radio executive Joshua arap Sang.