Vol. 509 No. 6
66 Ms O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the progress, if any, made with regard to the establishment of an international war crimes court; when Ireland will ratify the convention in this regard; when sufficient countries will have ratified it to allow for its establishment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20873/99]
The statute of the International Criminal Court was concluded at Rome on 17 July 1998 and was signed, subject to ratification, by Ireland on 7 October 1998. It will enter into force approximately two months after 60 states have become party to it. My information is that to date 89 states have signed the statute and, of these, four have ratified it.
The establishment of a permanent international criminal court has been supported by Ireland for many years. Indeed, Ireland was anxious to sign the statute at an early date in order to signal our strong political support for the court, as were our EU partners and our partners in the 66 member like-minded group which was set up to advance the conclusion of the statute and its timely entry into force.
A time-lapse is normal between signature and ratification. The purpose of this time-lapse is to allow each signatory state to consider what measures need to be taken in their domestic legal systems prior to ratification. The measures required prior to ratification and the time-frame involved will vary from state to state.
At the international level, this is one of the issues being discussed by delegations at the preparatory commission established after the Rome conference to address matters necessary for the effective operation of the court when the statute enters into force. The aim of these discussions is to ensure that the necessary domestic measures are taken by states not only in a timely fashion, but also in a comprehensive and consistent manner.
As with all signatories, Ireland may proceed to ratify the statute only when all the necessary legal and administrative measures have been put in place. A careful and detailed examination of the statute by my Department, together with the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, the Office of the Attorney General and other appropriate bodies, is necessary in order to determine the precise nature and scope of the legal and administrative measures which may need to be adopted in order for Ireland to be in a position to meet its obligations under the statute.
