ICC postpones hearing of first suspect

THE HAGUE, May 31 (Reuters) The International Criminal Court has postponed a confirmation hearing of its first suspect to face trial in the court due to security reasons, its chief prosecutor said today.

Thomas Lubanga, leader of the Union of Congolese Patriots (UPC), an ethnic militia now registered as a political party, stands accused of widespread human rights abuses in eastern Congo's lawless Ituri district.

He made an initial appearance in March at the ICC in The Hague and a next hearing, when the precise charges are to be confirmed, is now tentatively scheduled for September 28 instead of June 27, Luis Moreno-Ocampo said.

A later date was requested because stronger protection for victims and witnesses is needed, Moreno-Ocampo said.

''I am talking about the security assessment of the witnesses, we had to move them and provide more security for them and that is why we requested a postponement.'' The controversial ICC was set up as the first permanent global war crimes court to try individuals and it issued its first warrants last year for five leaders of Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), which operates in Uganda, southern Sudan and the DRC. The court has also launched investigations into Sudan's Darfur region.

Moreno-Ocampo said he will report on progress in the Darfur investigation to the U.N. Security Council on June 14.

The Security Council in March last year asked Moreno-Ocampo to prosecute those responsible for atrocities in Darfur.

The prosecutor said he was investigating killings, mass rapes and other atrocities in western Sudan but was only interviewing witnesses outside of Darfur.

''We cannot protect witnesses in Darfur,'' he said.

''As soon as the situation there changes, we will go there ... until then we build our case outside of Darfur.'' REUTERS CH LR KP2338