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Cairo, on
February 5th 2009
Members of the
Egyptian Coalition for
the International Criminal Court
recognize the plan of
action
to support the International Criminal Court during the first half of
2009
On February 4th
2009, members of the Egyptian Coalition for the International
Criminal Court ended
their meeting on developing a supportive strategy to the
role of the
International Criminal Court during the first half of 2009,
and on finding ways of
coordination and practical mechanisms to implement the proposals and
action plan that was
approved.
The
coordinating meeting
discussed also some of the issues pending before the Court,
such as the issue of
Darfur and the role of the coalition in cooperation with
the Court for a timely and independent Justice.
Furthermore,
members
of the Coalition dealt
with international and regional judicial mechanisms to prosecute those
involved in the commission of grave breaches of
international law of
armed conflict which took place against the Palestinian
people in the Gaza
Strip, which are regarded, in accordance with the Geneva Conventions and
the Statute of the
International Criminal Court, war crimes and crimes
against humanity.
The member
organizations in the meting, which are approximately thirty Egyptian
organizations, approved a plan of action
its features
represented in what follows:
-
Intensify and implement
legal activities that aim to urge the Egyptian government on
the ratification
and the accession to the International Criminal Court, such as
holding
conferences and panel discussions aimed at the Egyptian
parliamentarians,
jurists and representatives of other relevant authorities such
as the Ministries
of Foreign Affairs and Justice.
-
Implement activities
aimed at raising
awareness and legal knowledge between the legal professionals like:
lawyers and judges in addition to journalists on the role and the
jurisdiction of
the International Court, and its role in the
consolidation of
international criminal justice and the protection of human
rights.
-
The need to coordinate
efforts and
cooperation with regional and international coalitions in support of
the International
Criminal Court, and to address the Arab parliaments and
stakeholders to
expedite the ratification of and accession to the court.
-
Implementation of
activities
aimed to introduce
legislative amendments to the Arab constitutions and laws to be in
line with the
rules and provisions of international humanitarian law, in
particular the
four Geneva Conventions issued on 12 August 1949 and
additional two
protocols in 1977, to the national legislations in order to be an
integral part of
the National Laws.
-
Intensify efforts aim at
increase the
participation of
Egyptian and Arab non-governmental organizations in the "audit”
meeting
to be held in 2010
to discuss the amendment of the Statute of the International
Criminal Court.
-
Support the work of the
International Criminal Court, with
regard to current
cases before the court, particularly the Darfur case, as
well as the cases
of the Democratic Congo, Uganda and Central Africa.
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