October 23, 1997

Statement by the Delegation of Brazil

[...] Mr. Chairman,

Although the Preparatory Committee continues to grapple with a multiplicity of remaining challenges, this should not prevent us from renewing our commitment to advance towards the establishment of an International Criminal Court within the time frame set by resolution 511207. We wish to thank the Italian government for the preparations under way to host the 1998 Conference, and look forward to the resumption of work in the Preparatory Committee, next December, when we shall deal with such important questions as international cooperation and judicial assistance, penalties, and the definition of war crimes, among other matters. Meanwhile, this session of the General Assembly constitutes an important stepping stone in the process of strengthening the international drive for a successful outcome in Rome.

The remaining months between now and the International Conference should be used not only for an intensification of attempts to deal with specific concerns in the text of the draft Statute - at the expert level - but also for the creation of a political atmosphere conducive to future universal adherence to the Court - which is in the interest of each one of us and of the multilateral system as a whole. [...]

Mr. Chairman,

In the coming days we shall be working on a resolution which will set the stage for the Rome Conference. The draft under discussion is generally acceptable to my Delegation and we would like to thank its authors for having presented it. We believe that the decision by the Italian authorities to set aside five weeks has been a wise one which will encourage the widest participation in the conference. Additionally, as has been stated by Paraguay on behalf of the Rio Group, we would like to stress the need for the rules of Procedure for the Conference to be considered ahead of time, preferably during the PrepCom meeting to be held in March/April of 1998 as has been suggested by the Netherlands. I would like to conclude by expressing our appreciation for the competent guidance to the work of the PrepCom provided by the Bureau, and to acknowledge the important contribution, made by the non-governmental organizations, and the "coalition" in particular, to the discussions on the establishment of an International

Criminal Court.

Thank You