Ambassador Stephen Rapp Addresses the Washington Working Group on the International Criminal Court

(February 24, 2010) This morning Stephen Rapp, Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues, spoke to the Washington Working Group on the International Criminal Court.  Rapp addressed the current status of the U.S. relationship with the International Criminal Court and his experiences at the Assembly of States Parties meeting in November of 2009.  Over twenty-five NGOs attended representing a cross-section and important representation of the NGO ICC-support community in Washington DC.

Ambassador Rapp spoke positively about the International Criminal Court (ICC).  He referred to the situations in Darfur, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo to emphasize that, far from 'grey' area cases, the ICC has only become involved in cases concerning atrocity crimes that shock the human conscience.  Rapp explained that it is because of the gravity of the cases before the ICC that the US hopes to help ensure the work of the ICC is done effectively.  Throughout the discussions,  Ambassador Rapp drew from his past experience as a prosecution attorney at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, and more recently as chief prosecutor at the Special Court for Sierra Leone.

The Working Group had constructive discussions on key issues relating to US policy with Ambassador Rapp; ranging from the crime of aggression to recent US commitment to helping protect ICC witnesses in Kenya.   Rapp also spoke of a current review into US legislative compatibility in aiding the ICC.

For many, the highlight of the meeting came as Ambassador Rapp confirmed that Obama administration representatives will be attending the March resumed Assembly of States Parties meeting in New York and that they intend to participate in the Review Conference this June in Kampala, Uganda.

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