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(EMAILWIRE.COM, November 18, 2008 ) The Hague - ICC-ASP-20081117-PR371 - The seventh session of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (“the Assembly”) opened on 14 November 2008 at the World Forum Convention Center in The Hague. The President of the Assembly, H.E. Mr Christian Wenaweser, Permanent Representative of Liechtenstein to the United Nations, opened the session, which will last until 22 November.
Since the resumed sixth session in June 2008 two States, namely the Cook Islands and Suriname, had become Parties to the Rome Statute, bringing the total number of States Parties to 108.
At its first plenary meeting, the Assembly adopted its agenda for the session and agreed on the organisation of work. The main issues for consideration by the Assembly include: continuing the negotiations on the definition of the crime of aggression and the conditions for the exercise of jurisdiction by the Court, the Review Conference of the Rome Statute, the decision to finance the construction of the permanent premises of the Court in The Hague and the approval of a budget for 2009.
The Assembly was addressed by the President of the Court, Judge Philippe Kirsch, by the Prosecutor of the Court, Mr Luis Moreno-Ocampo, by the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Trust Fund for Victims, Madame Simone Veil, as well as by H.E. Mr Jorge Lomonaco (Mexico), who introduced the report of the Oversight Committee on the permanent premises.
On 14 and 15 November, a general debate was held in which the following States took the floor: Mexico, France (on behalf of the European Union), Switzerland, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Brazil, Germany, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Luxembourg, Peru, Finland, Japan, Jordan, Norway,
Uruguay, The Netherlands, Italy, Poland, Belgium, Barbados, South Africa, Sweden, Australia (on behalf of Canada, Australia and New Zealand), Liechtenstein, Austria, Ecuador, Denmark, Argentina, Republic of Korea, Spain, Bolivia, Greece, Senegal, Slovenia, Portugal, Hungary, Croatia, Suriname, Lesotho, United Republic of Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Nigeria, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of), Uganda, Kenya, Colombia, Costa Rica, Sierra Leone, Botswana, Iran (Islamic Republic of), Chile, Egypt, Lao PeopleÂ’s Democratic Republic and Guatemala.
In addition, at the fourth plenary meeting of the general debate, the League of Arab States and several non-governmental organisations addressed the Assembly.
The Assembly of States Parties is the management oversight and legislative body of the International Criminal Court. It is composed of representatives of the States that have ratified or acceded to the Rome Statute. The Assembly has a new Bureau, consisting of a President, two Vice-Presidents and 18 members, elected for a three-year term. The Vice-Presidents are H.E. Mr Jorge Lomonaco (Mexico) and H.E. Mr Zachary Muburi-Muita (Kenya).
Bureau
African States: Burkina Faso, Gabon, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa.
Asian States: Japan, Jordan and Samoa.
Eastern European States: Estonia, Georgia, Romania and Slovenia.
Latin American and Caribbean States: Brazil, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of).
Western European and Other States: Australia, Liechtenstein, Norway, Spain and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The International Criminal Court (ICC)
Ms Fatma Waheb Wassie
+31-646-168-626
Fatma.Waheb@icc-cpi.int 
Source: EmailWire.com
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