Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Chances Dim for Immediate ICC Ratification

The Rome Statute, the founding charter of the International Criminal Court (ICC), is unlikely to be ratified under the current administration, with an official saying the document endorsing the treaty will be completed after the presidential election.

Harkristuti Harkrisnowo, the Justice and Human Rights Ministry's director general for human rights protection, said her agency was still drafting a proposal highlighting the benefits of the ratification.

"(The document) will be submitted to parliament along with the treaty," she told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

The ministry plans to finish drafting the document this year, but Harkristuti said the ratification process also depended on the political dynamics in the House of Representatives.

"We only deal with the procedural aspect," she said.

The government missed the deadline to ratify the treaty by the end of last year, drawing criticism from ICC president Song Sang-hyun, who recently visited Jakarta to inquire into the reason for the delay.

The Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono administration has expressed its commitment to becoming a member state of the ICC, which deals with genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. The delay, however, has sparked speculation the government is dragging its feet on the ICC out of fear the court will violate the state’s sovereignty.

The Rome Statute is not the only treaty Indonesia has yet to ratify, Harkristuti said, adding, "There are many other treaties we need to work on."

The ministry, she said, was now focusing on the Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict, which should have been ratified in 2005.


Sumber : Jakarta Post

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