President of Croatia visits the ICC
Today, 30 October 2013, the President of Croatia, H.E. Mr. Ivo Josipović, visited the International Criminal Court (ICC) where he met with the ICC First Vice-president Judge Sanji Mmasenono Monageng and Second Vice-president Judge Cuno Tarfusser, as well as other high-level officials of the Court.
ICC First Vice-president Judge Sanji Mmasenono Monageng thanked President Josipović for Croatia’s continuing support to the ICC, as well as for President Josipovic’s personal involvement in the creation of the Rome Statute system: “We are honored to welcome a President who actively participated in the negotiations and adoption of the Court’s founding treaty,” First Vice-president Monageng said. “In another increasingly busy year for the Court, the ICC more than ever needs the strong support and cooperation from states committed to the fight against impunity worldwide,” she added.
President Ivo Josipović stated: “Since the very beginning, Croatia has been a steadfast supporter of the International Criminal Court, having actively participated in the Rome Conference and being the first state in the region to ratify the Rome treaty. By participating in a number of regional initiatives and by strengthening national capacities to prosecute atrocious crimes and ensure cooperation, Croatia has continued to strongly advocate in favor of the Court’s universality and the consolidation of international criminal law.”
On 21 May 2001, Croatia became the first country of South-East Europe to ratify the Rome Statute – the Court’s founding treaty. President Ivo Josipović’s visit to the ICC highlights Croatia’s support to the ICC and the joint efforts deployed in the fight against impunity of the perpetrators of the most serious crimes that affect the international community as a whole.
Pictures of the meeting are available here.
A video of the meeting (MPEG-4) is available for download here.
For further information, please contact Fadi El Abdallah, Spokesperson and Head of Public Affairs Unit, International Criminal Court, by telephone at: +31 (0)70 515-9152 or +31 (0)6 46448938 or by e-mail at: [email protected].