ICC holds seminar on cooperation with States
ICC holds seminar on cooperation with focal points of States where investigations have been opened or are taking place
Pictured here: Participants of the second Seminar on Cooperation with Focal Points of States where investigations are being conducted, on 17 November 2014 in The Hague (The Netherlands). ©ICC-CPI
On 17-21 November 2014, a number of officials and focal points from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, the Central African Republic, Kenya, Libya, Côte D’Ivoire, and Mali will meet with Court officials to discuss cooperation with the ICC. Representatives from five other States with experience cooperating with the Court will also attend, as will ICC Staff tasked with liaising with national authorities
Emphasising the important role of national focal points, ICC President Judge Sang-Hyun Song said: “To make cooperation really work, we must develop mutual understanding and remain in constant dialogue. Events such as this seminar provide an excellent opportunity to do just that”.
Deputy Prosecutor James Stewart said: “This week-long seminar is part of a proactive approach to enhance cooperation and find solutions for specific challenges”. “The ICC is part of a network of national judicial systems comprising more than 120 States, and it is our joint actions, at the national and international levels, that bring life and purpose to this great enterprise”, he added.
Registrar Herman von Hebel underlined the importance of cooperation, stating: “Strong cooperation between the Court and Situation Countries is a fundamental component of the Rome Statute system, and is essential in ensuring expeditious trials, and ending impunity”. “I hope that our discussions here will foster stronger links between the Court and Situation Countries, leading to a better justice system for the victims of Rome Statute Crimes”, he further added.
States play an essential role in implementing the ICC’s Decisions, Orders and Requests, and States Parties often nominate a national focal point to coordinate and channel communications between national authorities and the ICC. This week, these focal points will share lessons learned and explore matters relevant to their experience working with the ICC through their national systems.
Enhancing dialogue between the ICC and States Parties on cooperation is of key importance to the Rome Statute system, This Seminar aims to address a wide range of issues related to cooperation including Witness and victims’ protection, outreach in situation countries, the participation of States in proceedings and various international agreements between State Parties and the ICC.
The Seminar was partially funded through the generous contributions of the Governments of The French Republic, the Republic of Finland and the Kingdom of the Netherlands. On 13 and 14 July 2011, the first Seminar was held at the seat of the Court on the same topic. Now, this Seminar forms part of a larger the continuing effort to further advance the ICC’s processes, in particular in countries where ICC investigations are ongoing, with a view to realising the commitment of States Parties to end impunity and provide justice for the victims and affected communities of Rome Statute crimes.
Laurent Gbagbo’s trial to open before ICC
Laurent Gbagbo’s trial to open before ICC Trial Chamber I on 7 July 2015
On 17 November 2014, Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court (ICC) set the commencement date for the trial in the case The Prosecutor v. Laurent Gbagbo for 7 July 2015. The Chamber also directed the ICC Prosecution to provide, no later than 6 February 2015, full disclosure of all material, evidence and expert reports to the Defence as well as its list of witnesses and list of evidence to be relied on at trial.
Trial Chamber I is composed of Presiding Judge Geoffrey Henderson (Trinidad and Tobago), Judge Cuno Tarfusser (Italy) and Judge Olga Herrera-Carbuccia (Dominican Republic).
On 12 June 2014, Pre-Trial Chamber I confirmed, by majority, four charges of crimes against humanity (murder, rape, other inhumane acts or – in the alternative – attempted murder, and persecution) against Laurent Gbagbo and committed him for trial before a Trial Chamber. On 11 September 2014, Pre-Trial Chamber I rejected the Defence’s request for authorization to appeal the confirmation of charges decision in the case.
Bien chère Emma……
By Nicole Pierre
On Friday 14th November 2014, an exhibition commemorating the 100th anniversary of the First World War was officially launched. Despite the nippy weather, members of the diplomatic corps, as well as those from the francophone community, were present at the Peace Palace in The Hague to participate in the inauguration.
Presentations were made by Jeroen Vevliet, director of the Peace Palace Library, Richard Schreurs, the president of Alliance française de La Haye and Laurent Pic the new ambassador of France to the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The exhibition was declared opened after the ambassador’s speech in which he stressed the significance of the war as an important event in history but also as a landmark of European identity and unity today.
The exhibition gives us an up-close and personal view of the day to day lives of soldiers at the beginning of the war, through the private and intimate correspondence of a French soldier named Raymond Molle which he had sent to his wife Emma. Unfortunately he fell in combat in April, 1915. With Officer Molle, the so-called “unknown soldiers”, who got lost in the transmittance of our historical past but who are the true pillars of that history, suddenly get a face again.
The exhibition is opened for viewing partly in the visitor’s center and partly in the main lobby of the Peace Palace and is available until December 7th, 2014.
http://www.aflahaye.nl/en/component/content/article/2-uncategorised/47-bien-chere-emma-en
Qatar’s ruling Amir appointed new Deputy Amir
By Baron Henri Estramant.
The State of Qatar’s ruling Amir has taken the unusual step to appointing one of his half-brothers, HE Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, to the position of “Deputy Amir”. Such office is normally held in trust by the heir apparent, who is not automatically the eldest son of the Amir but is usually appointed amongst the Amir’s sons.
His Highness Amir Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani became Ruler on 25 June 2013 after the abdication of his father, Amir Hamad bin Khalifa. Amir Tamim has two wives, and thus far three eligible but infant male heirs, Sheikh Hamad (b. 2008) and Sheikh Jassim (b. 2012) through his first wife and second cousin Her Highness Sheikha Jawaher bint Hamad bin Suhaim Al Thani. The other son is Sheikh Abdullah (b. 2012) from Her Highness Sheikha Anoud bint Mana Al Hajri, his second wife.
Unlike European monarchies the Gulf states tend to appoint heir apparents (crown princes) on the basis of merit rather than automatically leaving the position to the eldest son of the ruling Amir. So the first two sons of the current “Amir Father” were excluded from succession in favour of the offspring of Her Highness Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser bin Abdullah Al Missned; of whom the eldest HH Prince Jassim bin Hamad renounced his hereditary rights in 2003, paving the way for his brother Tamim bin Hamad to be appointed Crown Prince and Deputy Amir. It should be expected that upon reaching their majority, the Amir shall appoint one of his sons as “Crown Prince of the State of Qatar”.
The current move to appoint Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad bin Khalifa as Deputy Amir might be rationalised as an attempt to share political power with a co-lateral branch of Al Thani, but moreover to provide the country with a clear second in command. After all, the Amir Father, Hamad bin Khalifa who ruled from 1995 to 2013 is deemed to have withdrawn mostly from politics although his influence as adviser to the new Amir is unknown. The unofficial “Amir Grandfather”, Amir Khalifa bin Hamad bin Abdullah who ruled from 1972 to 1995 until his deposition in a bloodless coup d’état by the incumbent Amir Father Hamad bin Khalifa is reported to live back in Qatar since 2004 yet he is kept out of public life. Hence Qatar is the only emirate with three amirs, and now a Deputy Amir.
The Deputy Amir Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani (b. 1988) is the second son of the Amir Father’s third wife and fourth cousin, Her Highness Sheikha Noura bin Khalid Al Thani. He holds a Bachelor of Sciences from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service (Doha campus). He has served as Chief of Amiri Diwan (The Amir’s Court) with the rank of Minister. Moreover President of Al-Rayyan Sports Club, and holds several business directorships. Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad is married since 22 March 2012 to HE Sheikha Maha bint Mohammed Al Attiyah. His function as Chief of Amiri Diwan shall be taken over by HE Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani, hitherto Director of the Amir’s Office.
In addition Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad will hold the rather powerful position of Vice-President of Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) which manages an estimated $170 billion of assets. The appointment took place on 11 November 2014 after the publication of the Amiri decree thereto on QNA news agency. New Horizon at the Mesdag museum The Hague
By Roy Lie A Tjam.
The exhibition New Horizon by Bruno van Elshout fills you with awe, arousing a profound sentiment of gratitude in the viewer; gratitude for the marvelous experience of serenity and space which the multiple images of the horizon emanate.
The New Horizon concept was born after a special reconnaissance trip to view the horizon of the North Sea from Kijkduin in The Hague. The project started in the summer of 2011, after Bruno van Elshout considered the idea of allotting the theme of serenity and space, rare phenomena in this hectic world, to the year 2012. The term New Horizon appeared to be the most appropriate for the work and following that revelation, the contours of the multifaceted project unfolded rapidly.
A custom-built installation was stationed on the roof of the NH Atlantic Hotel in Kijkduin, from 31 December 2011 to 6 January 2013, to capture one image every hour of the horizon in detail. An incredible number of captures, 8,785 in total, would tell the universal story of an infinite cycle: 8785 portraits of the very same stretch of infinity, where everything reunites: Heaven and earth, imagination and reality. Past, present and future. Somewhere you will never arrive, but the desire to reach out changes everything.”Images from the New Horizon project are now on show at the Panorama Mesdag until 1 March 2015. Bruno van den Elshout’s exhibition will transport you to the serenity and space of the horizon as he has imagined it.
The launch of the New Horizon book which accompanies the exhibition will take place on 4 December 2014 in the Garden Room of the Gemeente Museum, The Hague. The first copy will be dedicated to Van den Elshout’s son whose observations while strolling along the beach prompted the artist to select the title New Horizon. Only 2012 copies have been published. Purchasing the book online before 1 December 2014 will entitle each owner to attend the book launch. Van den Elshout hopes that his work will surprise and inspire many. For those who love the sea and The Hague, this compelling exhibition is well worth a visit.
96th anniversary of the proclamation of the Republic of Latvia
Roy Lie A Tjam
H.E. Mr. Maris Klisans, the Latvian Ambassador celebrated his country’s important anniversary by hosting a concert followed by a reception at the Societeit De Witte. The concert featured soprano Inessa Galante and Alexander Schmalcz, pianist.
The music commenced with a piece by Jazeps Medins, Mirdza’s song from the opera Vaidelote. People from many different walks of life, including representatives from the Latvian community who live and work locally, came to shake Ambassador Klisans by the hand in celebration. Certificate of Merit ceremony for parting Angolan Ambassador
By Roy Lie A Tjam
On Tuesday 11 November 2014, Diplomat Magazine awarded a Certificate of Merit to the parting Ambassador of Angola to the Netherlands, H.E. Dr Luis Jose de Almeida.
The certificate is a token of gratitude for the parting ambassador’s support to the diplomatic community in the Netherlands as well as to Diplomat Magazine. Ambassadors and other well-wishers came to bid farewell to Ambassador De Almeida who was one of the leaders of the liberation of his country and a long career diplomat.
Certificate of Merit – Ceremony of Merit- Farewell ceremony
Cambodia Celebrated Ten Years of Reign
By Baron Henri Estramant.
Cambodia is on a festive mood, on 29 October 2014, the Khmer people celebrated ten years of reign of the popular but shy and low-profile King Norodom Sihamoni.
His Majesty King Norodom Sihamoni is a bachelor who became the country’s monarch (or co-monarch rather while his father was still alive) after the formal abdication of his late father Great King Norodom Sihanouk. Up to his father’s death on 15 October 2012, Sihamoni was a sort of “junior King” whereas his father was formally titled “Great King”. Whilst two joint monarchs are not strange to Cambodian royal traditions, it was a constitutional conundrum as such arrangements are not foreseen in the kingdom’s constitution. 
In 1993, after the country re-established its monarchical system, Sihamoni served as Cambodia’s envoy to UNESCO and the cultural institutions based in Paris with the rank of ambassador albeit he declined to be accredited to France where he had been based for about twenty years of exile. King Sihamoni serves as a unifying symbol for Cambodians, and plays a mostly ceremonial roles whilst the country is in fact run by the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen. He is fluent in English, French, Czech and his native Khmer. He is noted for being the world’s only monarch to speak fluent Czech which he learnt whilst studying in Prague between 1962 and 1975.
Albeit the King is childless, there is no problem in the royal succession as the throne does not automatically go to one of the King’s sons but to a chosen prince who professes Theravada Buddhism, and is over thirty years old. The decision process is handled by the “Royal Council of the Throne”. The reigning dynasty is called Varman which has two houses, one named Norodom and one Sisowath. All princes and princesses belong to one of these two houses.
The present King holds a court of 26 royal advisers, all members of the extended Royal Family. The celebrations of His Majesty’s jubilee included monks chanting and praying for the King’s well-being before a giant portrait of the former. Thousands took to the streets of Phnom Penh to catch a glimpse of the King greeting the crowds from the Royal Palace.
Since 2009 Cambodia is represented to the Benelux countries, the EU and Austria by HE Ambassador Saem Hem. He is based in Brussels.
In 1993, after the country re-established its monarchical system, Sihamoni served as Cambodia’s envoy to UNESCO and the cultural institutions based in Paris with the rank of ambassador albeit he declined to be accredited to France where he had been based for about twenty years of exile. King Sihamoni serves as a unifying symbol for Cambodians, and plays a mostly ceremonial roles whilst the country is in fact run by the government of Prime Minister Hun Sen. He is fluent in English, French, Czech and his native Khmer. He is noted for being the world’s only monarch to speak fluent Czech which he learnt whilst studying in Prague between 1962 and 1975.
Albeit the King is childless, there is no problem in the royal succession as the throne does not automatically go to one of the King’s sons but to a chosen prince who professes Theravada Buddhism, and is over thirty years old. The decision process is handled by the “Royal Council of the Throne”. The reigning dynasty is called Varman which has two houses, one named Norodom and one Sisowath. All princes and princesses belong to one of these two houses.
The present King holds a court of 26 royal advisers, all members of the extended Royal Family. The celebrations of His Majesty’s jubilee included monks chanting and praying for the King’s well-being before a giant portrait of the former. Thousands took to the streets of Phnom Penh to catch a glimpse of the King greeting the crowds from the Royal Palace.
Since 2009 Cambodia is represented to the Benelux countries, the EU and Austria by HE Ambassador Saem Hem. He is based in Brussels.
We are getting out of the tunnel
Coming Sunday is host Ron Abdoelhafiezkhan guest at the Greek Embassy in The Hague. He speaks with HE Teresa Paraskevi Angelatou. The country has been in recent years much in the news because of the financial crisis, now Greece appears to be out of the recession. He speaks with HE Jan Versteeg, the Dutch ambassador in Greece. Former Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxime Verhagen is now president of Building Netherlands and innovative news from the construction industry