FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

T&T HOSTING INTER-GOVERNMENTAL CARIBBEAN CONFERENCE ON INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT

The Trinidad and Tobago Government through the Ministry of the Attorney General in collaboration with No Peace Without Justice (NPWJ), a non-governmental International Organisation, will be hosting the Inter-Governmental Caribbean Conference on the International Criminal Court which will be held at the Holiday Inn from March 15th to 17th,1999.

The Opening Ceremony for the three day Conference will be held at the Holiday Inn on Monday March 15th, 1999 at 10:00 a.m. His Excellency President Arthur N.R. Robinson, the Prime Minister the Honourable Basdeo Panday and Attorney General the Honourable Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj will address the gathering.

The Conference will study the issues relating to the signature and ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, which will include discussions on the drafting of implementing legislation and the establishment of mechanisms for a domestic legal framework for the Court to function.

Additionally, this Inter-Governmental Regional Conference is part of the NPWJ International "Ratification Now!" Campaign for the entry into force of the International Criminal Court by the end of year 2000, made possible with the support of the Open Society Institute and the Transnational Radical Party.

The Conference will bring together the Ministers, Attorneys General and representatives of Parliaments of CARICOM member States, Haiti and Suriname as well as leading personalities in the field and International and Regional Non-Governmental Organisations in an initiative to promote the rapid entry into force of the International Criminal Court.

The International Criminal Court, which will have its seat in The Hague, will be able to try individuals accused of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity in the future. Contrary to the International Court of Justice, which has jurisdiction over disputes between States, and the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, both based in The Hague, the new International Criminal Court will fill a long-standing need for a Global Permanent Court able to try individuals accused of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Sixty States must ratify the Rome Statute for it to enter into force. At present, seventy States have signed the Treaty, and 1 State, the Republic of Senegal, has ratified the Treaty. A number of other States, such as Italy, Belgium and Luxembourg have begun their procedures for ratification and will have ratified in the coming months.

March 12th, 1999.

For any further information, please contact Mr. Richard Hayde – Communications Officer. Tel.# 1-868-625-6579 Fax #1-868-0470