Permanent Mission of Germany to the United Nations

New York, December 10, 1998

Statement By Ambassador Dr. Dieter Kastrup

Mr. President,

[...] 1998 has also played a key role in the fight against impunity, one of the root causes for continuing worldwide human rights violations. International law is rapidly developing in this field. For the first time ever, a defendant was convicted of genocide by an international tribunal.

The adoption of the Statute for an International Criminal Court in July has set another important signal. It was a major step towards a world order in which the force of law, not the law of force, prevails. Human rights violators are becoming increasingly aware that there are fewer and fewer safe havens and that the vicious circle of impunity is being broken. [...]