November 1, 1995

Statement by Mr. S. Thanarajasingam, Charge d'Affairs/Deputy Permanent Representative of Malaysia

...At the last meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee, my delegation had expressed the view that the Ad Hoc Committee should be allowed to complete the task entrusted to it by the General Assembly. Be that as it may, we do not wish to stand in the way of forward movement, if this Committee proceeds with the establishment of a preparatory committee open to all State Members to further discuss the major substantive and administrative issues arising out of the draft Statute as prepared by the International Law Commission and to draft texts with a view to preparing a consolidated text of a convention for an International Criminal Court.

The Malaysian delegation recognizes that the momentum to establish the ICC must be maintained. Although the proposed preparatory committee has to complete its task expeditiously, it may neither be advisable nor realistic to stipulate a rigid time frame for the preparatory committee to complete its work. As such we would propose that the preparatory committee should be given a certain latitude of flexibility on its working schedule so as to ensure that as many problems and reservations regarding the establishment of the ICC are resolved. At the same time, we would wish to see the preparatory committee submit its report to the General Assembly at the beginning of the 51 session.