UNITED
NATIONS
GENERAL
ASSEMBLY
News and Highlights from the President
President
issued a statement on the ratifications of the Rome
Statute today; arrived in Accra this morning on the start of a visit to
four African nations
11 April 2002
General Assembly President Han Seung-soo is in Africa but has issued a statement on the ratifications of the Rome Statute. It says among other things that,
“Since 1948, following
the Nuremberg and Tokyo tribunals after the
Second World War, the establishment of a permanent international
criminal court has remained one of the most important goals of the
General Assembly of the United Nations. The scope, scale and
nature of atrocities that have been committed in many parts of the
world during the last 20 years reminded us of the urgency of creating
a permanent mechanism to bring to justice the perpetrators of such inhuman
crimes”.
The President also
commends those Member States who have
become party to the Treaty for their decision and urges all Member
States to join in the efforts of the international community to make
this historic Treaty successful.
The full text of his message is out as press release GA/SM/282.
The most important
documents regarding the ICC (International
Criminal Court) can be found on the UN website under International
Law.
After participating
in the Madrid meeting on Ageing, the President
arrived in Accra this morning on the start of a visit to four African
nations. Today, he will meet with Ghanaian ministers and with UN
officials. Tomorrow, he travels to Sierra Leone where over the next
two days he will meet the leadership of UNAMSIL, UN officials and
the Foreign Minister. To learn more about the UN’s peacekeeping
operations he will also visit UNAMSIL’s sector 4 in the interior of
the country. On Sunday, he will travel to the Gambia where he will
visit a UN project site and again meet with Government and UN
officials. On Tuesday, he travels to Senegal where he will address
the NEPAD summit. NEPAD is the New Partnership for Africa’s
Development. He will also meet with Senegalese leaders, UN
officials and with President Obasanjo of Nigeria. His visit to Africa
will end Thursday evening.
Today, he will meet
with Ghanaian ministers and with UN officials.
Tomorrow, he travels to Sierra Leone where over the next two days
he will meet the leadership of UNAMSIL, UN officials and the
Foreign Minister. To learn more about the UN’s peacekeeping
operations he will also visit UNAMSIL’s sector 4 in the interior of
the country. On Sunday, he will travel to the Gambia where he will
visit a UN project site and again meet with Government and UN
officials. On Tuesday, he travels to Senegal where he will address
the NEPAD summit. NEPAD is the New Partnership for Africa’s
Development. He will also meet with Senegalese leaders, UN
officials and with President Obasanjo of Nigeria. His visit to Africa
will end Thursday evening.