October 23, 1997

Statement by Mrs. Juliet D. Semambo Kalema, Representative of Uganda

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The other issues which should be emphasized are the guarantee of the rights of the accused, creation of an enabling environment that will allow cooperation and judicial assistance by Member States in areas like providing witness, evidence, arrest and detention and surrender of accused persons. This list is not exhaustive, Mr. Chairman, but it demonstrates what obstacles we are still faced with as we continue our negotiations and are heading towards the meeting of the Diplomatic Conference of Plenipotentiaries in Rome in 1998. Uganda shall nevertheless continue to participate effectively in the remaining meetings of the PrepCom and the Conference as we tackle the remaining issues. These issues are by no means of minor importance but deserve our full cooperation, flexibility and skillful negotiations.

Mr. Chairman,

Turning to those issues that are not directly related to the statute, my delegation would like to commend the positive contribution made by the nongovernmental organizations to the process of establishing the ICC and we hope they will continue to play a meaningful role by sharing with us their expertise.

Before closing, allow me, Mr. Chairman, on behalf of my delegation to express our deepest appreciation to those Member States that have contributed to the Trust Fund for the participation of developing countries in the Preparatory Committee and the Diplomatic Conference. This will, indeed, ensure universal participation.

Finally, my Government would like to express its gratitude to the Italian government for its offer to host the Diplomatic Conference in 1998. We have noted the excellent preparations so far made towards the realization of this Conference and we look forward to a successful conclusion.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.