Information bulletin on the campaigns of the Transnational Radical Party

Issue 35, September 1, 1999

* Published in Italian, French, Russian and Spanish.

___________________

Editor's Office: Mihai Romanciuc, Via di Torre Argentina 76, 00186 Rome (IT)

Tel : +39-06-689.791 - Fax : +39-06-6880.5396

radical.party@agora.stm.it - http://www.radicalparty.org - Telnet:agora.stm.it

Printing and Distribution: Alberto Novi

___________________

THE Mailing List ARCHIVE [and where Subscribe or Unsubscribe]

http://www.radicalparty.org/elist/main_en.htm

___________________

In this issue:

56 RATIFICATIONS OF THE ICC STATUTE IN 485 DAYS (END OF THE YEAR 2000). IT DIPENDS ON ALL OF US!

___________________

Dear friends,

At the end of July, Italian Radicals held their 5th Congress, which was on the "Italian front" and the need to obtain radical reforms for the Judiciary, economics, pension system, taxes and the electoral system through 20 referendum.(The text of the final motion can be found at our website www.radicalparty.org). At the same time at the UN Headquarters (UNHQ) the second session of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Preparatory Commission (prepCom) convened to finalize the Rules of Procedures and Evidence and the Elements of Crimes of the Statute. In these days the UN is holding a referendum for independence for East Timor.

1999 could be the year another major advancements in international law and in the effectiveness of international institutions. Only a year ago, the UN Diplomatic Conference adopted, with a large majority, the Statute for the first permanent ICC; last May the International Criminal Tribunal for the Crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) indicted President Milosevic and the Serbian and Yugoslav political a military leadership for the crimes committed in Kosovo.

During the 1990s, as you know, the Radical Party has been active in the field of international criminal law, emphasizing the need to establish an effective independent international criminal justice system. In the early '90s for the creation of the two ad hoc Tribunals (Yugoslavia and Rwanda) then for the establishment of the ICC, in Summer of '97, at the UN Committee on Decolonization we joined other groups in requesting a referendum for the self-determination of the Maubere people.

These objectives have been reached through a series of actions and campaigns, which have seen the active participation of several individuals the world over. Many of you have in the past supported our initiatives militantly as well as financially. We are most grateful for your constructive engagement in those campaigns, they are not over though and we still need your participation and contribution: the ad hoc Tribunals need continuous support, both politically and financially, the ICC still needs 56 ratifications to entry into force, the decolinization process needs a close monitoring for the eventual implementation.

___________________

* THE ICC RATIFICATION PROCESS

The Radical Party, through its international committee of citizens, mayors and parliamentarians called "No Peace Without Justice" (NPWJ) intends to carry on a series of initiatives aimed at supporting the ICTs and at achieving the 60 needed ratifications for the permanent Court to come into operation at the dawn of the new Millennium (so far only Senegal, Trinidad and Tobago, San Marino and Italy have ratified). In fact, NPWJ experts are currently involved in an international effort to help the ICTY on the ground in Kosovo, but are also assisting Delegations, namely Bosnia Herzegovina, Trinidad and Tobago, Senegal and Sierra Leone, at the PrepCom in New York. Moreover, to continue our political campaign for the prompt functioning of the permanent Court we have launched the idea of creating a network of parliamentarians from all over the world to implement a coordinated strategy at national levels to expedite the ratification processes. Last but not least, we have contacted dozens of Ministries in the five co

ntinents to get assessments on the national ratification processes, from the responses we are receiving, there is hope that the Court will be operational in the next couple of years.

___________________

* WORLDWIDE MORATORIUM ON DEATH PENALTY

But 1999 could also see another major advancement in international law, the first concrete step towards the outlawing of capital executions. This year's session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) could finally vote on a resolution modeled on the texts adopted in '97, '98 and '99 at the Human Rights Commission in Geneva calling for a universal moratorium of executions worldwide. Our colleagues of "Hands Off Cain", an association of citizens, mayors and parliamentarians for the abolition of the death penalty by 2000 federated with the Radical Party, are just back from an exploratory mission to the Caribbean and South East Asia on the matter, while our Representatives at the UN have established contacts with the Finnish Presidency of the European Union and the other 14 En Member States that will present the resolution before the 3rd Committee (Human Rights) of the UNGA at the beginning of November.

The next months will also see other ad hoc initiatives such as the appeal for the salvation of Northern Korea, the question of political prisoners in Kosovo and, of course the cause of freedom and democracy in Serbia as well as in China. Such a "hot Autumn" needs your active participation. Visit our website www.radicalparty.org to get updates on our transnational actions, but also to sign or download our appeals for the Moratorium, for the Salvation of Korea, for Macedonia in the European Union and to pledge a donation.

Thank you!

Contact us to receive more information: radical.party@radicalparty.org

Only through the life of rights there will be a right to live!

___________________

BRIEF UPDATES ON THE ICC RATIFICATION PROCESS

* On August 11, KENYA becomes the 84th country to have signed the ICC Statute.

* FRANCE and GERMANY have announced that they will end the process of ratification of the ICC statute by the end of year 1999.

* Chris PATTEN, Commissioner for Foreign Affairs of the European Union declared that the ratification process of the ICC statute will be one of his priorities.

* LETTER TO THE FOREIGN AFFAIRS MINISTERS. We have already received positive answers from Austria, Bolivia, Colombia, Czech Republic, Iceland, Lesotho, Lichtenstein, Norway and Slovakia and will shortly prepare a compilation of updates.