TRANSNATIONAL FAX N.18
Information bulletin on the campaigns of the Transnational Radical Party
Issue #18 - 30 June, 1998
Special Issue on the International Criminal Court (ICC)
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* Editor's Office: Mihai Romanciuc - Marco Perduca, Via di Torre Argentina 76, 00186 Rome (IT)
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* Published in English, Italian, French, Russian, and Spanish.
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Dear friends,
We are now entering the 3rd week of the Diplomatic Conference on the establishment of an International Criminal Court (ICC). Only 10 out of 116 articles have been closed, the pace is too slow and the the remaining three weeks will not be sufficient for the finalization of the statute. It is becoming extremely urgent to take action, to educate and sensibilize the public opinion and decision makers that the international community cannot and should not miss this historic opportunity, and that all the promises made during the last few years in favor of the establishment of the ICC be translated into facts.
After having organized conferences all over the world, circulated petitions and parliamentary appeals, published a series of books on the statute, and placed some thirty experts on many delegations at the Rome conference (we will keep you updated on this in the next issue), it is now time to turn to public initiatives and organize a nonviolent presidium in front of the FAO and a candellight vigil to put pressure on Governments in order to obtain a possible statute at the end of the Conference.
We are also thinking about publishing some ad pages in the biggest Italian and international newspapers to sensibilize public opinion and involve it in our demonstrations. In order to do so, we need you help and support, we need your subscription, your contributions, your availability to participate, if you live in Italy, in our public demonstrations. Please take some time to consider this request and fill in the form at the end of this TRANSFAX. Thank you.
>> THE ROME CONFERENCE, A RADICAL IDEA.
What follows is an article appeared in the Rome edition of the CICC MONITOR the news letter of the Non-Governmental Organizations Coalition for the ICC.
>> CALENDARIZING INTERNATIONAL DECISION MAKING.
By M. PerDuca UN Rep for the Transnational Radical Party
Through the establishment of an International Criminal Court, (ICC) the United Nations is not only achieving a fundamental objective for international peace and justice, but is also demonstrating that it can be the place for transnational decision-making, where a combination of a rigorous calendarization of its legislative exercises and the participation and involvement of the public can be possible and effective.
The adoption of Resolution A/RES/52/160 last December 15, by the 52nd session of the General Assembly of the United Nations (UNGA), may seem a marginal aspect of the process of the establishment of the ICC, but the document, passed by consensus, finally sets the date for the convening of the Diplomatic Conference (DipCon) for the adoption of the statute. From June 15 to July 17, 1998, the city of Rome at the F.A.O. building will host the conference of diplomats that will prepare the convention for the establishment of the ICC. What only a few years ago seemed another noble idea for the people who are victims of armed conflicts, has now become a priority in the international community's agenda for the next century.
Since the beginning of the war in the former Yugoslavia, The Transnational Radical Party (TRP) has always been committed to and involved in finding political solutions to national as well as international crisis. At the end of the 1980s, Marco Pannella, founder and leader of TRP, and at that time Member of the European Parliament (EP), proposed to the European Union (EU) the "adoption" of Yugoslavia as a member of the Union, in order to help the secession process of the regions forcefully kept together by the authoritarian regime of Tito. Later in the '90s, radicals launched several international campaigns and appeals for the creation of the ad hoc tribunals and eventually for the establishment of the ICC. In 1993, more than 75,000 people from all over the world signed a petition for the Yugoslav Tribunal and some members of TRP's General Council fasted for many days - Olivier Dupuis, current Secretary of the party, fasted for over a month - to have a dialogue with the decision-makers of the United Nations.
In 1996 and 1997, two parliamentary petitions were signed by hundreds of parliamentarians from all over the globe, the two documents and the list of signatories were published in the International Herald Tribune and in le Monde, on the eve of the 6th Committee debate on the ICC in October 1996, and for the inauguration of the December PrepCom last year, in order to maintain pressure on delegations.
TRP involvement in the establishment of the ICC reached its peak in 1994, when Emma Bonino, (currently EuroCommissioner for Humanitarian Aid) at that time Member of the Italian Parliament and Secretary of TRP, was appointed as delegate to the 6th Committee by Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi. At that session, on behalf of her Government, she formalized Italy's offer to host the conference of plenipotentiaries for the adoption of the statute. Since 1994, Italy has always reiterated the offer and has played a leading role among the "like-minded" states in the negotiations.
Calendarizing politics has always been a radical peculiarity. A pragmatic political approach to problems requires resources, strategy and tactics, but most of all needs a concrete goal. TRP believes that an effective lobbying consists in the outlining of the various positions at stake in order to face possible political resistance mobilizing the public and putting pressure on Governments and decision-makers. The offer for a seat for a treaty conference was a small, marginal proposal that, nonetheless, played a reinvigorating role in giving new momentum to the negotiations.
Not many people or organizations fully understood that it is mainly on small stones that one can build walls, but eventually the idea was supported and endorsed by the totality of individuals and groups sincerely committed to the process, whether Governments or NGOs.
In order to better support the convening of the DipCon in 1998, TRP has strictly collaborated with No Peace Without Justice International Committee in the organization of an international campaign aimed at the sensibilization of decision-makers, media and the public. Conferences on the Court were organized all over the world and literature on the process of its establishment was sent to over 20,000 parliamentarians worldwide. Recently, a draft resolution on a fair independent and effective ICC has been sent to all the signatories of the International parliamentary appeal endorsed by over 600 MPs from 62 countries, so that national assemblies can show their strong support in a coherent and compact way and give precise instructions to their governments for the Treaty Conference.
The road to Rome is long and paved with slippery stones, and only a well-coordinated and reinforcing strategy can help the "like-minded" states in their noble endeavor for the establishment of an effective court this Summer. Despite the inherent complexity of the issue, anybody can help by writing letters to newspapers and magazines, contacting their local representative, letting them know what is going at the Rome Conference and that every vote or position can
make a difference for international justice.
>> THE LIKE-MINDED GROUP IS EXPANDING
Encouraging news from the so-called "like minded" front (a group of states that from the beginning of the preparatory process have agreed on a common set of principles). The group, which started with some 40 countries, today consists of 57 states and it is planning to formally include seven more this week. New members are: Senegal, Sierra Leone, Georgia, Jordan and Romania; the enlargement of the group is a very positive sign, and we hope that it will help the most favorable nations to push for the most important issues in the next three weeks. A crucial role in this matter has been played by the Judicial Assistance Project of the radical campaign NO PEACE WITHOUT JUSTICE that aims at helping small delegations to the Rome Conference.
In the next issue some issue by issue update will be prepared. In the meantime we have to prepare a big mobilization to raise public and political awareness on a succesful conference and we need you help.
>> THE DIPLOMATIC CONFERENCE AND THE INTERNET
The Transnational Radical Party has a web page in which information on the conference can be found every day, the url is
http://www.radicalparty.org/icc
this page also has liks to the audio version of the general debate during the plenary two weeks ago, check it out!!!!
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SUBSCRIPTION FEES 1998: The subscription fes vary from nation to nation, according to the criteria of 1% of the PIL. They follow the fees relative to the distibution of the bulletin in the nations where it is most diffuse. For the missing nations, please contact the editorial office.
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