Leidschendam, 1 April 2015 – Yesterday, the Head of Defence Office of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon, Mr François Roux, concluded a working visit to New York. During his time there, he held talks with the Under-Secretary-General for Legal Affairs, Mr Miguel de Serpa Soares, as well as with several diplomatic representatives who are members of the Tribunal’s.    

ICC Second Vice-President Judge Kuniko Ozaki, in the presence of the President of the Assembly of States Parties, H.E. Sidiki Kaba, presents Minister of Foreign Affairs of Palestine Dr. Riad Al-Malki, with a special edition of the Rome Statute © ICC-CPI.   The International Criminal Court (ICC) held a ceremony on 1 April 2015 at the seat of the Court in The Hague (the Netherlands) to welcome the State of Palestine as the 123rd State Party to the Rome Statute, the ICC’s founding treaty. During the ceremony, the ICC’s Second Vice-President, Judge Kuniko Ozaki, presented the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Palestine, Dr. Riad Al-Malki, with a special edition of the Rome Statute, as a symbol of their joint commitment to the rule of law.  The ceremony was held in the presence of the President of the Assembly of States Parties, H.E. Sidiki Kaba, a number of ICC Judges, ICC Deputy Prosecutor James Stewart and ICC Registrar Herman von Hebel. Vice-President Kuniko Ozaki stated: “Accession to a treaty is, of course, just the first step. As the Rome Statute today enters into force for the State of Palestine, Palestine acquires all the rights as well as responsibilities that come with being a State Party to the Statute. These are substantive commitments, which cannot be taken lightly.” The President of the Assembly of States Parties, H.E. Sidiki Kaba, declared that “such highly symbolic commitment confirms, once again, that people all over the world embrace the noble ideals of the ICC, that are ideals of peace and justice for all.” Minister of Foreign Affairs of Palestine Dr. said: “As Palestine formally becomes a State Party to the Rome Statute today, the world is also a step closer to ending a long era of impunity and injustice. Indeed, today brings us closer to our shared goals of justice and peace.”    

On the picture His Highness Sabah IV Amir of Kuwait.   By Baron Henri Estramant. 31 March 2015, Kuwait City: The Third International Pledging Humanitarian Conference for Syria (Kuwait III) was held in the State of Kuwait under the auspices of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and His Highness The Amir of Kuwait. The United Nations had appealed for $8.4 billion for Syria this year to help deal with the ballooning humanitarian crisis. Some 200,000 people have died and nearly half the Syrian population has been displaced by the turmoil that began with anti-government protests in 2011 and spiralled into full-scale civil war. The number of people needing humanitarian aid has increased by 2.9 million in merely ten months.

Although the response to the first annual conference in Kuwait in 2013 exceeded the $1.5 billion requested, last year’s conference only secured pledges of $2.4 billion towards a $6.5 billion appeal. Amir Sabah IV of Kuwait who last year was honoured by Ban Ki-Moon as a “humanitarian leader” announced a USD 500 million pledge. The conference was attended by nearly 80 governments and dozens of aid agencies, with the United States promising $507 million, Kuwait $500 million, the United Arab Emirates $100 million and Saudi Arabia $60 million. EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, Christos Stylianides, was also present to pledge the EU monetary and moral support. Kuwait III conference was held just after the 26th Arab Summit in Sharm el Sheikh where the possibility of setting up a “voluntary”, pan-Arab military force of ca. 40,000 élite troops backed by jets, warships and light armour was discussed, and in principle agreed upon by Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Saudi Arabia. The summit also provided the outlet for bilateral meetings amongst regional leaders including a rendezvous between Kuwait’s Amir, Sheikh Sabah IV and Fujairah’s ruler, Amir Hamad bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Member of the Supreme Council of Rulers and Head of the Emirati delegation to the summit on behalf of the UAE President, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Amir of Abu Dhabi.            

Van with 125 kg of heroin from Iran to Belgium stopped in Kyrgyzstan, 3 foreigners arrested. The National Security Committee of Kyrgyzstan stopped on March 28 the activity of transnational criminal groups consisting of foreign nationals. A van carrying 125 kg of heroin was detained in Sokuluk district. 3 foreign nationals were detained. The international criminal group has been for a long time smuggling and trafficking the narcotic drugs on the route Turkey-Iran-Turkmenistan-Tajikistan-Kyrgyzstan-Kazakhstan-Russia-Belgium. Heroin was hidden at the bottom of the wagon under the furniture. Heroin was packaged in briquettes of 0.5 kg each, the authorities said. The further investigation into illicit trafficking in drugs is underway. The Committee launched a criminal case. The detained foreign nationals are now in the temporary detention center in Bishkek.