A GREAT VICTORY FOR INTERNATIONAL LAW.

A HISTORICAL DECISION BY THE UNITED NATIONS FIFTY YEARS AFTER NUREMBERG: THE UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY AGREES UPON 1998 AS THE DATE FOR THE DIPLOMATIC CONFERENCE FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A PERMANENT INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT OVER WAR CRIMES, GENOCIDE, AND CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY.

New York, December 17, 1996. A resolution setting a date to call the Plenipotentiaries' Diplomatic Conference which could pursue on actually establishing a permanent criminal court was passed by consensus by the 51st UN General Assembly. The resolution also settles the dates for a total amount of 9-weeks of Preparatory Committees between 1997 and spring 1998. Credit to Italian diplomacy and ambassador Mr Fulci, who for three years on end renewed the Italian government's offer to host such a Conference, and led the favourable countries through the negotiations.

The UN General Assembly's historical decision has strongly been wished by the Transnational Radical Party and the International Committee "No Peace Without Justice". Since the beginning, the Transnational Radical Party - working as an NGO recognized by the UN with consultative status 1 -, has been among the most effective tools on a global level for the establishment of such a Tribunal and for the tribunals for Rwanda and former Yugoslavia.

Since the beginning of 1996, the Transnational Radical Party launched an appeal asking the UN General Assembly to call a Plenipotentiaries' Conference for 1998. Together with "No Peace Without Justice", and with the support of European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid, Ms Emma Bonino, an appeal addressed to UN Member States was signed by over 800 MPs from 70 countries, including personalities like former US President Jimmy Carter, Bosnian President Alija Izetbegovic, Nobel laureates José Ramon Horta and His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and 20 more former premiers or heads of state.

Those appeals were published in Le Monde and the International Herald Tribune, thus substantially widening the front of countries in favour.

One of the goals of the Transnational Radical Party and "No Peace Without Justice" has become full substance in an official resolution of the United nations.

Transnational Radical Party