Sunday, August 27, 2006

Government committed to ratify ICC Rome Statute: PM Koirala


Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala has assured that the government will ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) as soon as possible.
During his meeting with an international delegation of the ICC campaign on Saturday, he said that the government was positive about ratifying the ICC Rome Statute and added that ICC Rome statute was essential for safeguarding the rights of people under serious threats.
“PM Koirala informed us that the government will ratify the Rome Statute and that he intended to bring the Maoists to the mainstream,” reports quoted Dr Ahmed Ziauddin, member of the team, as saying.
The team met deputy prime minister KP Oli and CPN-UML leader Madhav Nepal on Friday, according to the Informal Sector Service Centre. Oli also assured the team that the Rome Statute would be ratified once the Bill on Military Act tabled at the Parliament was amended.
Cases of genocide and grave human rights violations can be tried at the International Criminal Court once Nepal is a signatory to the Statute.
The ICC campaign team arrived in Nepal to lobby with the government regarding the ratification of the ICC Rome Statute.
“It is important for Nepal to become a party to the ICC Rome Statute so that the international mechanism will help the country put the necessary laws in place and reinforce the judiciary,” said Ziauddin, adding it will also help Nepal deal with human rights issues.
Subodh Pyakurel, chairman of INSEC, said the Rome Statute is yet to be tabled at the Parliament although the HoR has already passed a resolution directing the government to ratify the Statute.
On July 25, the House of Representatives had passed a resolution directing the government to ratify the ICC Rome Statute expressing firm commitment against all forms of crime against humanity.

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