Statement by mr. Adriaan Bos

sixth committee

Mr chairman,

.......

The Netherlands Government attaches great importance to this topic. The creation of the ad hoc tribunal for former Yugoslavia and the preparation for the creation of the ad hoc tribunal for Rwanda show clearly that the international community is in urgent need of a permanent International Criminal Court.....

For that reason the Netherlands is in favour of holding a diplomatic conference on this topic as soon as sufficient common ground for such an exercise appears to exist.

The Netherlands Government is of the opinion that the draft statute prepared by the ILC provides a good basis for future discussions.......

As regards this Commission's recommendations to the General Assembly that it convene an international conference of plenipotentiaries to study the draft statute and to conclude a convention on the establishment of an international criminal court, my delegations feels that such a diplomatic conference will be useful if sufficient common ground esists for it to succeed. It is the sincere hope of my government that such common ground can be found at this meeting to make it possible to convene a diplomatic conference in the near future....