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From 6 to 7 May 2012 the President of the Assembly of States Parties (“the Assembly”), Ambassador Tiina Intelmann, visited Cairo as part of her effort to promote an active dialogue with States Parties and non-States Parties to the Rome Statute alike.
In her meetings with H.E. Ambassador Abdel Aziz Seif el-Nasr, Assistant Foreign Minister for International Legal Affairs and Treaty Affairs of Egypt, as well as with H.E. Dr. Essam El-Erian, Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee of the People’s Assembly and H.E. Mr. Mohamed Anwar El-Sadat, Chairman of the Human Rights Committee, she highlighted the achievements of the International Criminal Court (“the Court”) in its first ten years of operation.
President Intelmann also paid tribute to the important role played by Egypt in the negotiations leading to the Court’s creation. Since Egypt signed the Rome Statute in 2000, the Court has firmly established itself as a valuable international justice mechanism. The President expressed her hope that Egypt would take the opportunity presented by the current transition to re-examine the benefits provided by being party to the Rome Statute and to consider its ratification.
During her lecture at Cairo University, entitled “10 years of the International Criminal Court and the fight against impunity,” President Intelmann explored the possibilities and limitations of the Rome Statute, as well as the principle of complementarity as a fundamental pillar of the Rome Statute system.
Visiting the seat of the League of Arab States, the President also met with Dr. Radwan Ben Khadra, Legal Adviser to the Secretary-General of the League. She acknowledged the important role of the League in ensuring peace and prosperity in the region, and expressed her appreciation for the constructive attitude the League has taken towards the Court.
Additionally, President Intelmann met with members of the diplomatic corps and gave several interviews to the Egyptian press. The President welcomed that civil society is working together with parliamentary and government actors as well as with the Coalition for the International Criminal Court to explore deepening Egypt’s relationship with the Court.
Lecture at Cairo University
For further information on the Assembly of States Parties, please e-mail to [email protected].