ABSTRACT: Insert published on payment on the "New York Times" of 26th October, in preparation of Emma Bonino's arrival in New York to meet Boutros-Ghali and discuss the question of the special tribunal on former Yugoslavia. The objective of the insert is building up support for the "Petition for the immediate establishment of the International tribunal for war crimes in the former Yugoslavia. The text also contains a solicitation to join the radical party. Lastly, it suggests the creation of an interactive link with the Radical Party via Internet.

(THE NEW YORK TIMES, 26 october 1993)

"Ideas of great consequence are always simple ideas", Tolstoj wrote in "War and Peace".

A simple idea, but one of enormous consequence, is the one that made John F. Kennedy declare, thirty years ago, "I am a Berliner". And a simple idea, but one of enormous consequence, is the one that can make us say today, "I am a Bosnian", "I am a Chernobylian", "I am a person with AIDS", or "I am a Somali child"...

To build a just order of peace, freedom and growth, to create new laws that everyone will recognize and respect, we need a new political will and a new way of organizing it. Transnational laws are the simplest way to make the world less complicated. And to find the most effective way of fighting the threats to the environment, security and democracy.

Our method is non-violence. Our goal is to create a transnational political lobby for democracy, freedom, human and civil rights, a cleaner world, an antiprohibitionist approach to drugs; a transnational lobby capable of taking the same initiatives in many national Parliaments simultaneously. This is an adventure that calls for extraordinary human and financial resources. Thousands of women and men of good will can give it shape and strength, becoming the pioneers of a new democratic frontier.

In 1993, more than 40,000 people of 45 different nationalities joined the Transnational Radical Party. Among these are Nobel Laureates, more than 500 parliamentarians of many diverse political affiliations, Government officials, well-known figures from the cultural, scientific and religious fields, and also women and men from all walks of life. Today we are engaged in the campaign for the ad hoc Court crimes in former Yugoslavia.

THE INTERNATIONAL COURT FOR CRIMES IN FORMER YUGOSLAVIA NOW!

The rule of law and the entitlement of every citizen to a number of basic rights are the foundations of all civilized societies. Even international law, treaties and conventions formally binding for every nation, now recognize that every human being has certain inviolable rights.

However, there is no international authority to guarantee the effective respect of these rights, to prosecute violators or to protect victims. Yet, the scale of violence, horrors and atrocities in former Yugoslavia has compelled the international community to take an unprecedented step: the UN security council decided last May to set up an ad hoc international Court to prosecute war crimes in former Yugoslavia.

The implications of this development can be far reaching: it is the first practical step towards an effective international legal system limiting, on humanitarian grounds, the sovereignty of nations and the impunity of political and military leaders.

But despite the Security Council resolution, it is unlikely that the international Court will be set up and become operational soon without strong pressure and action by public opinion.

Several problems are still unresolved, and unless the U.N. will choose to act with unprecedented speed and determination, nothing will happen.

Diplomatic "realism" and international hypocrisy will once again prevail.

The instigators as well as the perpetrators of "ethnic cleansing" and mass rape will remain unpunished. The resentment of millions of victims will breed new violence, new horrors, and prevent us globally from enjoying a just and better world.

All this can be stopped. You can help, with your signature and with your actions.

SIGN TODAY!

Join the 25.000 people around the world who signed the international Petition, among which 933 parliamentarians, 22 members of Government, 22 Nobel Laureates and many personalities and scholars belonging to cultural, social, political, scientific and religious fields, such as:

Sidney Altman, Oscar Arias Sanchez, Julius Axelrod, Luciano Benetton, Joseph Brodsky, Stanley Cohen, Furio Colombo, Diego Cordovez, Mairead Corrigan, Ralf Dahrendorf, Umberto Eco, Carlos Franqui, Vittorio Gassman, Allen Ginsberg, Alexandr Ginsburg, Peter Goldmark, Barbara Handman, Herbert A.Hauptman, Euge'ne Ionesco, Hans Janitschek Alejandro Jodorowski, Ismail Kadare', Bernard Kouchner, William Kunstler, Jean Marie Lehn, Henri Laborit, Vassily Leontieff, Rita Levi Montalcini, Vincent MacGee, Nagib Mahfouz, Cweslaw Milosz, Percy S.Mistry, Franco Modigliani, Nevill Mott, Yuri Orlov, George E.Palade, Linus Pauling, Adolfo Perez Esquivel, Sergio Pininfarina, Leonid Pliusch, John Charles Polanyi, Ilya Prigogine, Fernando Savater, Hamilton Smith, George Soros, Mario Vargas Llosa, Manuel Vasquez Montalban, Gore Vidal, George Wald, Maurice Wilkins, Maurice Williams, Simon Wiesenthal...

In the 1st week of november 1993 a delegation of signers will meet at the U.N. with the Secretary-General, the President of the General Assembly and the President of the Security Council, to present the Appeal and solemnly deliver the signatures.

PETITION FOR THE IMMEDIATE SETTING UP OF THE INTERNATIONAL COURT TO JUDGE WAR CRIMES IN THE EX-YUGOSLAVIA

We the undersigned, parliamentarians, members of political groups, men and women from the academic, scientific, cultural and religious fields, and citizens from all over the world:

A. Considering that the U.N. Security Council, in accordance with Clause VII of the Charter, has decided, by passing Resolution no. 827 of 25 May 1993 and on the basis of the report prepared by the Secretary General, to set up the International Court to judge and punish those responsible for serious violations of International Humanitarian Law committed in the territory of the Ex-Yugoslavia;

B. Considering that it is now necessary to respect the urgent deadline, set by that same Security Council, for the actual constitution of the Court; for the appointment of the Public Prosecutor and of the judges, and their taking office in the Hague, where the Court will be set up; and for the conducting of inquiries and investigations prior to the actual trying of the cases;

C. Considering that the ad hoc Court's becoming operative as soon as possible constitutes an extremely important step forward in upholding the supremacy of human rights and of the law, and in creating international jurisdiction with an aim to setting up a Permanent Court authorized to judge and punish people who have committed international crimes;

Having stated this, and to achieve the following aims

WE THE UNDERSIGNED

1. Address a FORMAL APPEAL

To the Secretary General of the U.N.

To the President, and the members of the U.N. General Assembly

To the President, and the members of the U.N. Security Council

so that each may take action, within the sphere of their respective authority and responsibilities:

a) in order to fulfil the necessary conditions and to complete the required technicalities for the International Court to judge war crimes in the Ex-Yugoslavia to be set up by December 1993;

b) in order to enable the U.N. General Assembly, during its next Session, to come to the necessary decisions for setting in motion the required procedures for the constitution of a Permanent International Court;

2. We engage ourselves to take the necessary steps, within our own particular sphere, in order that our governments might take action both on the domestic front and within the United Nations, to achieve the above objectives.