ICC RATIFICATION 2000 - Issue no. 2, 25 October 1999
=======================================================
Newsletter for parliamentarians and citizens on the campaign for the ratification by the year 2000 of the Statute of the International Criminal Court
Published by the Transnational Radical Party and by No Peace Without Justice, in French, English, Italian and Spanish.
=======================================================
- Chief Editor: Olivier Dupuis - Parlement européen - Rue Wiertz 60 - 1047 Brussels (B)
- Editorial staff: Marco Perduca, Paolo Atzori, Mariacarmen Colitti
Tel: +32-2-230.41.21 - Fax: +32-2-230.36.70
Mailto:pr.bruxelles@agora.stm.it - http://www.radicalparty.org - Telnet:agora.stm.it
- Layout and distribution: A.Novi
----------------------------------------
Info WEB - http://www.radicalparty.org
Info EMAIL - mailto:pr.bruxelles@agora.stm.it
_____________________________________
ARCHIVE Mailing List (The List on the WEB)
http://www.radicalparty.org
_____________________________________
SUBSCRIBE the Mailing List ICC RATIFICATION 2000
MAILTO:pr.bruxelles@agora.stm.it?subject=SUBSCRIBE-ICC_2000_EN
_____________________________________
UNSUBSCRIBE the Mailing List ICC RATIFICATION 2000
MAILTO:pr.bruxelles@agora.stm.it?subject=UNSUBSCRIBE-ICC_2000_EN
=======================================================
In this issue:
-> The Italian path to ratification
-> Latest signatures
-> The international network of parliamentarians
-> News from the Foreign Ministries
-> Statements to the General Assembly of the UN
___
>>> 56 STATES AND 430 DAYS TO GO TO ACHIEVE OUR OBJECTIVE: THE INSTITUTION OF THE COURT BY THE END OF 2000
Fifteen months have gone by since the conclusion of the diplomatic Conference in Rome which adopted the Statute of the first International Criminal Court by a vast majority. Never before has there been such an evident need for supranational institutions capable of bringing the worst international criminals to justice: from the incrimination of Milosevic to the interventions in Kosovo and East Timor, the international community has been called on to deal with crises involving the clear violation of human rights and the practical interpretation of the international conventions.
The establishment of the ICC may not have been a solution for all the world's troubles, but it would undoubtedly have acted as a deterrent and, above all, would have ensured the necessary independence and efficacy to bring about swift, certain justice rather than the mere search for peace at all costs.
At the opening of the General Assembly of the United Nations, many countries expressed their support for the effective establishment of the Court: an initial selection of some of these countries will be found below. In order to make sure that these words do not remain a dead letter, it will be necessary in the coming months to work together to accelerate the process of ratification, so that the Court can be fully operative by the beginning of the new millennium. In this issue we have outlined the solution adopted by the Italian Parliament to speed up ratification, and in the next few issues you will find other parliamentary instruments such as draft motions, resolutions, and so on, that can be used to raise the question of ratification in your parliament.
The Italian path to ratification
On 26 July 1999, Italy deposited the instruments of ratification of the Rome Statute at the United Nations in New York. On 8 October 1998, the Italian government had adopted the relative ratification bill. On 9 February 1999, the Senate approved the said bill, with modifications. In order to accelerate the process of ratification, the provisions in the original text containing the mandate to the government for the implementation of the statute were cancelled, and will be brought together in a separate bill. The text approved contains the clauses for the authorisation and implementation of ratification, and a provision for financial cover. On 1 July the Chamber of Deputies adopted the text, which was signed on 12 July by the President of the Republic, Carlo Azeglio Ciampi (Law no. 232 of 12 July 1999). Italy thus became the fourth country to have decided first to ratify and then to adapt its own laws at a later date, as it had already done for the two ad hoc tribunals.
___
>>> Signatures and ratifications
With the signatures of Benin (24 September) and Armenia (1 October), the number of countries that have signed the Statute has risen to 88. The full list can be found at the Radical Party web-site (www.radicalparty.org).
___
>>> Network of parliamentarians for ratification
To date, 45 parliamentarians from 17 countries have joined the international network for the ratification of the Statute of the ICC by the end of the year 2000.
___
>>> News from the Foreign Ministries
- Columbia has created an "inter-institutional" group charged with studying the statute and solving the legislative and constitutional problems that ratification would involve.
- The Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has declared its awareness of how important it is that the Court should be established by the end of the year 2000.
- According to information received from the Namibian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the process of ratification is proceeding in a satisfactory manner.
The latest issue of the quarterly newsletter of No Peace Without Justice has been published. If you wish to receive a copy, please write to npwj.net@agora.stm.it
Erratum: in the news about the preparatory proceedings in New York published in the last issue of the newsletter, "Preparatory Committee" should have read "Preparatory Commission". We apologise to readers for the mistake.
___
>>> News from the General Assembly of the United Nations
General Assembly, 54th Session - Statements on the ICC
- Tarja HALONEN
Foreign Minister of Finland and President of the Council of Europe
"[...] The Statute of the ICC lays the foundations to combat the impunity of the most heinous crimes. The European Union is committed to the rapid implementation of the Rome Statute, and to an effective ICC. The number of signees and the first ratifications are encouraging. We invite all states to sign and ratify the Statute. [...]"
- Robin COOK
Foreign Minister, United Kingdom
"[...] We must oppose the culture of impunity. Those who violate the international humanitarian laws, from Kosovo to East Timor, must know that they will be held responsible. The International Criminal Courts have shown what can be done. We must build on their work through the creation of a permanent ICC, and as quickly as possible. [...]"
- Borys TARASYUK
Foreign Minister, Ukraine
"[...] The Ukraine believes that the creation of the ICC serves the future system of international security, and will sign the Statute in the course of this session. It is the ambition of the Ukraine to be elected as a non-permanent member of the Security Council. [...]"
- Gabriele GATTI
Minister of Foreign and Political Affairs, Republic of San Marino
"[...] Last year, the Republic of San Marino was one of the first countries to ratify the Statute of the ICC, convinced that such an institution is indispensable for the future of the whole world. For international society it represents not only a political advance, but also a moral advance. [...]"
- Juan Gabriel VALDES
Foreign Minister, Chile
"[...] Violations of the basic rights of individuals could no longer be considered as an exclusively domestic problem of countries. The protection of these rights is the inescapable task of the international community, which must move towards a clear, orderly and non-discriminatory regime, such as the proposed ICC. The establishment of a permanent body equipped to exercise criminal jurisdiction over persons accused of any of the crimes over which it has competence, will have the virtue of discouraging both improper internal procedures that guarantee the impunity of the perpetrators and the attempts of judges of other countries to transform themselves into righters of the world's wrongs [...]."
- James MARTONYI
Foreign Minister, Hungary
"[...] The creation of the ICC would act as a deterrent that would contribute to regional and international peace and security. The recent acts of terrorism have sadly recalled the huge challenge posed by the fight against these phenomena, and has highlighted the need for new methods. [...]"
