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STATEMENT BY THE PRIME MINISTER
April 11, 2002
Ottawa, Ontario
The following is the text of a statement by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien on
the occasion of the 60th ratification of the Rome Statute of the International
Criminal Court (ICC):
"This is truly a watershed moment for the cause of international
justice and human decency. The 60th
ratification of the ICC statute at a special ceremony today in New York
culminates a more than half century quest to translate the concept of a
permanent International Criminal Court into reality.
The ICC is an historic response to the revulsion that civilized peoples
the world over have expressed, time and again, at the repeated acts of
horrific violence and hatred that have been committed over the years against
innocent men women and children during times of conflicts. A permanent ICC
will substantially enhance the power of the community of nations to bring to
justice those who perpetrate genocide, crimes against humanity and war
crimes. The ICC Statute was also the first to recognize a wide range of
crimes against women and children as war crimes, including sexual slavery
and the recruitment of child soldiers.
I am especially pleased to note that the ICC Statute will enter into
force on July 1, 2002 — Canada Day. Canada was the first country to adopt
comprehensive implementing legislation, and ratified the ICC Statute in July
2000. And we played a leadership role in chairing International Criminal
Court negotiations, and in promoting the ratification and implementation of
the ICC Statute.
Today, I would like to congratulate all those who have worked so hard to
establish the International Criminal Court, which the Secretary-General of
the United Nations has heralded as a gift to future generations."
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PMO Press Office : (613) 957-5555
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