Luis Moreno-Ocampo said in a statement on Monday that al-Bashir had "masterminded and implemented" a campaign to wipe out three ethnic groups in Sudan.

Moreno-Ocampo's call for an arrest warrant to be issued against al-Bashir is the first instance where the arrest of a serving head of a state has been requested at the ICC.

The prosecutor "has concluded there are reasonable grounds to believe that (al-Bashir) bears criminal responsibility in relation to 10 counts of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes," the statement said.

The ICC is an independent permanent court that tries persons accused of the most serious crimes on international concern.

ICC judges will now examine whether if there were reasonable grounds to suggest that a crime within the court's jurisdiction had been committed.

The judges will then decide if they should issue an arrest warrant, a process that could take several months.

Moreno-Ocampo's accusation against al-Bashir comes amid concerns that tensions in Darfur could reach boiling point and lead to the expulsion of aid workers and peacekeepers in Sudan's western region.

Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations secretary-general, has said that he is "very worried" by what could happen in Darfur should al-Bashir be formally indicted.

"It would have very serious consequences for peacekeeping operations including the political process," he said in a interview published in Le Figaro newspaper on Monday.

"I'm very worried, but nobody can evade justice," he said.

Khartoum does not recognise the ICC and has already refused to surrender two other war crimes suspects.

"If there is a decision about Presidents [al-Bashir], it may destroy the peace process," Al-Samani al-Wasila, state minister for foreign affairs, said last week.

Arab and African leaders have also expressed concern over any attempt to apprehend al-Bashir for any alleged involvement in war crimes.

The African Union'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 jeopardise efforts aimed at promoting lasting peace."

The Arab League said it will hold a crisis meeting on Sudan and the Organisation of the Islamic Conference has warned of "grave ramifications".

China's UN ambassador said that plans to issue a warrant for al-Bashir would put peace prospects "in jeopardy".

There are fears that arresting al-Bashir could strengthen the hand of fighters based in Darfur who attacked the capital in May.

The UN says up to 300,000 people have died since the Darfur conflict broke out in February 2003. The Sudanese government puts the death toll at 10,000.

Protesters in Sudan dismissed the ICC

move as "a joke" [AFP]