THE HAGUE TO CELEBRATE PALESTINE AT ICC

Jakarta, 10  Jumadil Akhir 1436/30 March 2015 (MINA) –Preparations are underway as The Hague gets ready for the State of Palestine to become the newest member of the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Palestine’s Ambassador to the Netherlands Nabil Abuznaid said that a celebration will be held at 10 am on Wednesday 01 April 2015 and will be attended by the President of the Court, the President of the Registrar, the President of the General Assembly, judges, heads of departments and members of Palestine’s delegation which is headed by Foreign Affairs Minister Riyad Al-Malki.

During the ceremony, Al-Malki will be handed the original copy of the Rome Statute (the treaty that established the ICC) before delivering Palestine’s speech, Middle East Monitor quoted by MINA as reporting.

Abuznaid has said that there is unprecedented media attention on the event across the city of The Hague.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has said Palestine will join the International Criminal Court (ICC) on April 1, a move that will enable the Palestinians to pursue war-crimes charges against Israel.

In a statement posted on the UN’s treaty website, the secretary-general announced his acceptance of the documents saying “the statute will enter into force for the State of Palestine on April 1, 2015.”

Moon said he was acting as the “depositary” for the documents of ratification, the Associated Press news agency reported.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas submitted the documents ratifying the Rome Statute that established the court last Friday, the last formal step to becoming a member of the world’s permanent war crimes tribunal.

Abbas signed documents to join the ICC a day after the UN Security Council rejected a resolution that would have set a three-year deadline for the establishment of a Palestinian state.(T/R04/R03)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)