Foreign Relations Committee Recomments Ratification of the ICC Statute
(Tbilisi, May 20, 2003. Civil Georgia) – Today the Foreign Relations Committee of the Parliament discussed the Rome Statue of the International Criminal Court, ratification of which is on this week’s agenda of the ongoing plenary session.
In the speech to the committee the Deputy Foreign Minister Shota Dogonadze said that one of the reasons of delay in ratification of the Rome Statute is the US-Georgian agreement, according to which neither of the sides shall hand over a citizen of the second party to any third party, including the international tribunal. According to the Rome Statute, the International Criminal Court tries only those cases, which took place after July 1, 2002.
Leader of the legitimate Abkhazian government and the member of the Parliament Tamaz Nadareishvili informed the meeting that there are 50 to 60 cases on the crimes, committed against Georgian population in Abkhazia, including facts of aggression and ethnic cleansing.
Nadareishvili expressed hope that after the ratification and appointment of the prosecutor, in charge of Abkhazian cases, the prosecutor will visit Georgia to study the cases on place and even tackle the earlier cases, which took place in 1992-93.
Nadareishvili added, that even if this does not happen, 50 or 60 cases would be quite enough to conduct serious investigation. However, Nadareishvili is confident that the Russian peacekeepers will not allow the prosecutor to work in normal conditions. Since the mandate of the peacekeepers will expire soon, this issue shall be put on the agenda as well, he said.
It was mentioned at the meeting that after ratification of the Statute, relevant laws must be adopted to adjust the internal laws with the Statute. The law on Georgia’s relations with the Hague Court has been already drafted. After completing the relevant procedures, the document will be submitted to the Parliament for approval.
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