October 23, 1997

Statement by H.E. Dr. Gyorgy Szenasi, Representative of Hungary

Mr. Chairman,

History has been clearly demonstrated that there can be no peace without justice, that is to say justice is an indispensable component of lasting peace. Starting from that premise, the Republic of Hungary holds the view that all those who commit war crimes and crimes against humanity must be held personally responsible and accountable. We are convinced that bringing to justice those who commit the most heinous international crimes is an important contribution to the maintenance of international peace and security and to the protection of human rights. The timeliness of implementing this principle is shown by the war crimes and other grave violations of international humanitarian law which have been committed during the last few years in many parts of the world. [...]

Mr. Chairman,

During the latest session of the General Assembly Hungary wholeheartedly supported the resolution which determined that the Diplomatic Conference would be held in 1998, although it was well-known even that time that substantial work still remained to be done and some of the difficult political decisions can only be made at the Conference itself. Since we are convinced that, at this time, the General Assembly should set the exact date, length and venue of the Conference, my delegation, joining forces with other "like-minded" ones, supports the adoption of a resolution to that end. We are committed to vigorously pursuing the negotiations and will continue to do our utmost at the two remaining sessions of the Preparatory Committee and at the Diplomatic Conference to be held in Rome next year to ensure the establishment of a truly independent and genuinely effective ICC.