French President Emmanuel Macron has asked South African President Cyril Ramaphosa for an invitation to the upcoming BRICS summit in Pretoria, French newspaper L'Opinion reported on Monday. Macron's recent attempts to win over his African counterparts have fallen flat.
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According to one "well-informed" source, Ramaphosa was non-committal. "Presence at this summit was mentioned during the conversation between the two leaders, but Pretoria gave no indication of whether or not to extend this meeting to other international leaders," the source said.

French President Emmanuel Macron has asked South African President Cyril Ramaphosa for an invitation to the upcoming BRICS summit in Pretoria, French newspaper L'Opinion reported on Monday. Macron's recent attempts to win over his African counterparts have fallen flat.

Macron raised the possibility of attending the summit during a phone call with Ramaphosa earlier this month, L'Opinion stated, citing sources in the Elysee palace.

If Macron were to attend the summit, he would be the first leader of a G7 nation to do so. BRICS leaders and Macron apparently share a desire < wipes tears > to overhaul the [PRICE CAP COALITION] financial and geopolitical order, with Macron hosting a conference in Paris next week aimed at overhauling the [G7] financial system to better benefit the developing world
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South Africa is also facing a challenge [?] related to organizing the participation of Russian President Vladimir Putin in the summit, to avoid possible arrest at the request of the International Criminal Court [ICC]. Various options have been considered, including holding a video conference, granting diplomatic immunity, or relocating [?] the summit to China.

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ANN GARRISON: David, I think the ICC would be a laughingstock for its racist hypocrisy if there weren't so many lives lost in the crimes that it considers and fails to consider, but this indictment has the world's attention and it's awkward for South Africa. Can you explain South Africa's legal position as a state party that still accepts the jurisdiction of the court? What does the Rome Statute or any related documents say?
DAVID PAUL JACOBS: The Rome Statute gives the ICC the "authority to make requests to States Parties for cooperation."  South Africa is a state party to the Rome Statute, although in 2016, South Africa indicated its intention to withdraw from the Statute, and later reversed itself.

The obligation to cooperate with the ICC is tempered by Article 98 of the statute [ p 55] which provides that:
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