It was the first time that the Hague-based ICC was asked to charge a sitting head of state, a move decried by Khartoum as undermining peace efforts in the region.

At the request of Sudan, the Cairo-based Arab League (AL) has agreed to hold an emergency foreign ministers' meeting on July 19 to coordinate Arab stance on the disputes between Sudan and the ICC.

The meeting will be held in response to the request by Sudan that was approved by Syria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Libya and the Palestinian National Authority, head of AL Secretary General Amr Moussa's office Hisham Yousef said Monday.

Samir Hosni, director of the Arab-African Cooperation Department of the pan-Arab bloc, said Monday that Moussa has been consulting with the Arab states for the preparation of the meeting.

Earlier on Sunday, the Arab Lawyers Union strongly slammed the ICC for its expected move to issue the arrest warrant against al- Bashir.

The ICC decision to charge al-Bashir with war crimes in Darfur is "a flagrant violation of international law, norms and human rights," the Arab Lawyers Union said in a statement.

The union also criticized the United States for its alleged role behind the ICC move, saying it's a U.S. decision to punish al- Bashir for "his firm stand in defense of Sudan's just causes."

The United States is in an attempt to drag the ICC into a fight against al-Bashir, which contradicts the aim of the international court, said the statement.