Letter to the MPs, members of the Radical Party

Zagreb, 4 May 1994

Rome,

Moscow,

Dear Representative,

Dear friend,

The international Tribunal on crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia has finally been given the financial and organizations means allowing it to carry out its function and to bring the question of the former Yugoslavia within the law, thanks to the "No peace without justice" campaign organized by the radical party and the commitment of hundreds of MPs and thousands of citizens all over the world.

Clearly, we will need to keep our eyes open and, above all, we will need to undertake new initiatives so that not only the material executors of the crimes will be prosecuted, but also the masterminds, those who have organized or in any case favoured the accomplishment of these crimes.

But we will have to do more. In the wake of this initiative of the international community, which is revolutionary in terms of justice and international law, we consider it not only appropriate but dutiful to continue and, as far as possible, enhance our efforts to obtain the establishment of a permanent international penal tribunal by next year. In other words, a new institution of the United Nations, capable of prosecuting the authors of the crimes wherever they are committed.

This initiative, which is urgent in itself, is all the more urgent considering the existence of particularly favourable circumstances; the "International Law Committee", the United Nations juridical consultive body charged with completing the statute of the permanent penal tribunal, should finish its work during its next session (May-July 1994). After that, the text will be forwarded to the Sixth Commission of the United Nations, which could then approve it during its next session (October-December 1994).

Should this schedule be respected, the Secretary-General of the United Nations could inaugurate this first permanent institution of international justice as early as next year, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the foundation of the United Nations.

If, however, even one of the intermediate dates should fail to be respected, then the entire schedule would be upset; in that case the entire matter would be postponed, and chances are that these favourable circumstance would never again occur.

For all these reasons, we need to multiply the initiatives and efforts to support the members of the "International Law Committee" first and subsequently the members of the Sixth Commission.

To that end, we have prepared a draft resolution which, if introduced in several parliaments, would no doubt significantly strengthen this initiative.

Hoping that you will be able to give your contribution to this initiative, involving as many of your colleagues as possible,

Yours faithfully,

Olivier DUPUIS

(president of the General Council

of the Radical Party)

P.S. Herewith enclosed is the draft motion together with the document that was recently approved by the European Parliament.