TRANSCRIPT OF PRESS CONFERENCE WITH PRESIDENT CARLO CIAMPI OF ITALY AND SECRETARY-GENERAL KOFI ANNAN IN ROME AND NEW YORK BY VIDEOCONFERENCE, 11 APRIL

TRANSCRIPT OF PRESS CONFERENCE WITH PRESIDENT CARLO CIAMPI OF ITALY AND SECRETARY-GENERAL KOFI ANNAN IN ROME AND NEW YORK by videoconference, 11 APRIL

President Ciampi (interpretation from Italian):  I have just had a very interesting in-depth discussion with the Secretary-General of the United Nations. I would like to extend my warmest welcome to him.  Today is a historic day for the international community, inter alia, in terms of opportunities to strengthen the system of multilateral relations.  I am pleased now to invite Secretary-General Kofi Annan to make a very important statement and announcement.

The Secretary-General:  Thank you, President Ciampi.

About an hour ago, in New York, representatives of 10 States deposited their instruments ratifying the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, bringing the total to 66. 

By so doing, they took us past the threshold of 60 ratifications needed for the Statute to enter into force.

The long-held dream of a permanent international criminal court will now be realized.  Impunity has been dealt a decisive blow.

I am delighted to be in Rome for this historic event, because it was here that the conference leading to the adoption of the Statute was held. 

I shall never forget being in the Campidoglio, on 18 July 1998, to witness some of the first signatures being affixed.  And Mr. President, you were there with me.

A missing link in the international justice system is now in place.  For a long time we have had the International Court of Justice, which deals with disputes between States.  But until now we had no permanent international court where individuals could be put on trial.

The establishment of the new Court will fill that gap.

The Statute will now come into force on the first of July -- less than four years after it was adopted.  By next year, the Court should be up and running.

Those who commit war crimes, genocide or other crimes against humanity will no longer be beyond the reach of justice.  Humanity will be able to defend itself -- responding to the worst of human nature with one of the greatest achievements: the rule of law.

I thank the Italian Government and people for all they have done to bring this about.

I congratulate the 66 States that have now ratified the Statute.

I urge those who have not done so to follow their example.  The best defence against evil will be a Court in which every country plays its part.  And let me repeat, the best defence against evil will be a Court in which every country plays its part.

And I thank the many non-governmental organizations whose tireless efforts contributed to this success.

The time is, at last, coming when humanity no longer has to bear impotent witness to the worst atrocities, because those tempted to commit such crimes will know that justice awaits them.

Let us make the International Criminal Court an effective instrument.  Let it be a deterrent to the wicked, and a ray of hope for the innocent and the helpless.

Thank you very much.

President Ciampi (interpretation from Italian):  The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, has just announced an event that represents a success for the entire international community and all humankind.  The Statute of the International Criminal Court, as he has just told us, will come into force on 1 July.  That is less than four years after the Rome Conference, and it will bear the name of this city.

      As an Italian, I am enormouslypleased, because this is an appropriate recognition of the fullest commitment of Italy to this effort by our political forces and our diplomatic forces.

The International Criminal Court will help us out of a spiral of violence, impunity and more violence.  It will strengthen the ability of the United Nations to pursue international peace and security, and it will help us in our fight against these kinds of actions.

The legitimate satisfaction at progress of this kind and, therefore, the safeguarding of international legality, unfortunately, are being overshadowed by the very serious crisis that is unfolding in the Middle East.  Of course, the resolution of that crisis has become the top priority of the international community.

We all are deeply disturbed by the events of the past few weeks.  The meeting held yesterday in Madrid will, perhaps, give us some hope.  In fact, the consensus reached during that meeting between the parties, the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations will, hopefully, lead to a positive result with respect to peace in the Middle East.

The parties concerned must feel the pressure being brought to bear by the international community.  They must put an end to this tragic war, which will only create victims.  We need an immediate ceasefire, and we must initiate a political process on the basis of United Nations resolutions.  This will offer to the parties concerned the prospect of achieving their legitimate ambitions and objectives:  independence for Palestine, and, for Israel, security and recognition by all Arab States.  We, therefore, need the international community to act responsibly and to assume a direct role in this respect.  I think that in the Middle East we are seeing this role, which Italy has been encouraging for some time now.

Question (interpretation from Italian):  I would like to address a question to the Secretary-General of the United Nations.  What do you think will be done over the next few months and, also, with regard to the upcoming deadlines for the International Criminal Court, in other words, what do you think will be done to overcome the reservations of some countries –- China, Israel, the United States -– for example?  We all have certain expectations in connection with this Court, and there may be delays because of these reservations, and as President Ciampi has already said, we are worried about what is happening now in the Middle East, and, therefore, we would like to ask you, Mr. Annan, if there are any new initiatives being considered, new initiatives with regard to the deployment of UN observers, for example, in the region?

The Secretary-General:  Let me, on the first question, say that we shall go ahead and establish the Court.  I hope the Court will be up and running, as I said, by next year.  The vast majority of nations in the world have signed on to the Court.  We have 66 ratifications, as I said today, and we need only 60 to go ahead and establish the Court.

I know there are countries who have reservations and have indicated they will not sign on.  But I think it should not hold back those countries that are determined to go ahead and ensure that this missing link in international law is established. 

I also believe that those who today are not enthusiastic will, over time, come to recognize the importance and the usefulness of the Court.  And some, in fact, may need it more than those who have already ratified it, and so I am not worried about establishment of the Court.  We will go ahead and do it, and I hope others who today have reservations will join one day.  This happened before, and it can happen for this one. 

On the question of the Middle East, we are all awaiting with expectation the visit and the mission of Secretary of State Powell.  It is not an easy mission.  It is an extremely delicate and complicated mission.  The fighting continues.  The Security Council resolutions are clear, but there doesn’t seem to be any indications to implement them.  We need to maintain the pressure, and hope to get the parties to respect these resolutions. 

The international community has finally come together, and we are speaking with one voice, with one objective and one purpose, and I think that was made abundantly clear from the communiqué in Madrid yesterday, and also the support that the Security Council gave to that communiqué. 

I think the parties, left to themselves, cannot resolve this conflict.  We have seen what has happened in the last 18 months.  They do need third party assistance, and I think we should press ahead and provide that assistance.

Question:  Mr. President, Mr. Annan, [inaudible] from AFP, when the International Court is functioning, can you perceive either side in the Middle East conflict facing charges?

The Secretary-General:  That is a highly speculative area I don’t want to be drawn into.  Obviously, the Court will be established to be able to put individuals on trial, individuals who have committed crimes against humanity, genocide, as I listed here, and whether somebody will bring charges against anybody in the region is a question for the future to answer, and I would prefer not to speculate.

Spokesman:  We now have a question from New York.  Thank you very much

Mr. Secretary-General, the question will be asked by Bill Varner of Bloomberg News.

Question:  Mr. Secretary-General, what would you say to U.S. congressional concerns that the Court could be used to prosecute U.S. servicemen overseas or diplomats, in other words, political prosecutions?

The Secretary-General:  The Court is not directed against citizens from any particular country.  The Court is directed against criminals, and the Court will prosecute in situations where the country concerned is either unable or unwilling to prosecute. 

Countries with good judicial systems, who apply the rule of law and prosecute criminals and do it promptly and fairly need not fear.  It is where they fail that the Court steps in, so there is a principle of complementarity here, and this will be my answer to those who are concerned about this.  I don’t think this is a Court that is going to run amok, be intrusive, and take on cases which are before national courts.  So, I hope you can pass on the answer.

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