MEDIA INFORMATION FOR DIPLOMATIC CONFERENCE ON ESTABLISHMENT OF INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT
Press Release
MEDIA INFORMATION FOR DIPLOMATIC CONFERENCE ON ESTABLISHMENT OF INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT
19980601 The United Nations Diplomatic Conference of Plenipotentiaries on the Establishment of an International Criminal Court will convene in Rome, Italy, from 15 June to 17 July. It will be held at the premises of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), at Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, adjacent to the Circo Massimo, which is also the nearest subway stop in the Aventino area of Rome.The purpose of the Conference is to finalize a draft statute which, when ratified, would establish an international criminal court. The Conference will consist of a Plenary, which will meet during its first and last weeks, a Committee of the Whole, which will negotiate the text of the draft statute, a Drafting Committee and a General Committee.
Pre-Conference Media Briefing
On Sunday, 14 June, at 3 p.m., a briefing will be held for all media attending the Conference. It will include a discussion of the issues which remain to be decided by the Conference and the organizational arrangements. There will be an opportunity for journalists to ask questions, and interpretation will be available in English, French and Italian. The briefing will be given by the Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs and United Nations Legal Counsel, Hans Corell, who is also the Representative of the Secretary-General to the Conference, and by Roy Lee, Executive Secretary of the Conference. The Spokesperson of the Conference, Susan Markham, from the United Nations Department of Public Information (DPI), will chair the briefing, which will be held in the Iran Room located on the first floor of building B at the FAO headquarters.
Opening Session
Secretary-General Kofi Annan will open the Conference at 10 a.m. on Monday, 15 June, in the Plenary Hall, located on the third floor of building A.
Space has been reserved for journalists in the media gallery of the Plenary Hall. Because space is limited in this gallery, admission will be by ticket during times of high demand. Tickets for the opening session will be
distributed to journalists in the Media Centre (see below) on the morning of 15 June, starting at 9:30 a.m., on a first-come, first-served basis by DPI staff. Access to the media gallery is via the fourth floor in building A.
Visual media (television and photo) will be given access, on a rotating basis, to the floor of the Plenary Hall to film the proceedings. Those wishing to cover the opening session should contact the staff at the Media Liaison desk outside the Plenary Hall on the third floor of building A.
Live coverage of the Plenary sessions will be broadcast on closed circuit television monitors located in the Media Centre.
Press Conference by Secretary-General
Secretary-General Kofi Annan will hold a press conference on Monday, 15 June, around midday (the exact time will be announced later) in the Iran Room, located on the first floor of building B. Interpretation will be provided in English, French and Italian.
Media Centre
A working area for journalists will be available in the Media Centre on the ground floor of building A. Individual space cannot be reserved but will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.
A telecommunications centre (available at commercial rates) will be located in the same area.
Facilities will be available in the Media Centre for radio producers to take direct audio feeds (i.e., through plug-in to a distribution box) of both the language of the speaker (floor) and the simultaneous interpretation in English of the Plenary debate.
Adjacent to the Media Centre will be a documents distribution area where journalists will be able to obtain all the Conference documents as well as copies of press releases in English, French and Italian covering the statements in the Plenary sessions. A daily journal of the Conference meetings, notices about press conferences and other information materials will also be available there. The DPI will have staff on hand to assist journalists.
Daily Briefing
The Spokesperson for the Conference will hold a daily briefing for journalists at noon during the first and last weeks of the Conference. The briefings will be held in the Iran Room on the first floor of building B.
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During the middle three weeks of the Conference there will be no daily briefings, but staff will be on hand to provide information about current developments to the media and to set up ad hoc briefings as events warrant.
Press Conferences
Press conferences will be held in the Iran Room by Conference officials, delegations and others. A schedule of press conferences will be posted daily in the Media Centre.
Website
Up-to-date information about the Conference, including daily highlights, audio of the Spokesperson's daily briefing, documents and background information will be available throughout the conference on the United Nations Home Page on the Internet. The address is http://www.un.org/icc
Daily Newspaper
A daily conference newspaper will be issued by the Inter Press Service (IPS) at the Conference site. It will also be available on the Internet at http://www.ips.org/icc
Background Information
The DPI has issued an information kit for the media. Copies of the kit, as well as additional information about the Conference can be obtained by contacting the Department in New York at: (212) 963-0352 or 963-0499; fax: (212) 963-1186; e-mail: vasic@un.org. This material is also available on the Conference website: http://www.un.org/icc.
During the Conference, starting 12 June, information may be also obtained from the Conference Spokesperson's office at the site. Telephone and fax numbers will be provided later.
Conference Documents
The following are the main documents for the Conference: provisional agenda (A/CONF.183/1); report of the Preparatory Committee for the Conference (A/CONF.183/2); draft statute (A/CONF.183/2/Add.1); draft rules of procedure (A/CONF.183/2/Add.2); organization of work of the Conference (A/CONF.183/3); and information note for participants (A/CONF.183/INF.1).
Those documents are currently available on the Conference website and journalists can obtain them at the Conference. As more documents are issued
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they will be available at the media documents area and on the Conference website.
Accreditation
All media representatives attending the event must have Conference accreditation and a pass. To apply for accreditation, media must complete an application form and provide a letter of assignment on official letterhead from their editor or bureau chief. Accreditation forms can be obtained in advance from the United Nations Department of Public Information, Room S-250, United Nations, New York, New York 10017, United States; telephone: (212) 963- 7164; fax: (212) 963-4642. Forms will also be available at the Conference accreditation centre, which will open on 11 June and remain open throughout the Conference.
The media accreditation centre at the Conference will be located in the Villa at FAO premises. The hours of operation will be: 11-13 June 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. 14 June 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. 15 June 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. 16 June-17 July 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
The Conference media accreditation centre telephone number is (39) 6- 570-50307; Fax: (39) 6-570-50304.
Photo passes will be issued in the Villa after journalists have completed the necessary application and on presentation of two forms of photo ID (such as passport, official national press pass, driver's license, work ID, etc).
Admission to the FAO premises will require, at all times, the presentation of an official Conference photo identification pass.
Visa Requirements
Entry visas to Italy must be obtained prior to departure. The Italian Government advises that in countries where an Italian Embassy or Consulate does not exist, journalists can obtain their entry visas to Italy from any Embassy or Consulate of a State Party to the Schengen Treaty. Those countries are: Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. There is no provision made for journalists to obtain entry visas in Italy on arrival at the Rome airport.
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