UN General Assembly
1997

in our view, the remarkable achievements of the Oslo Conference do not diminish the role that other forums, including the Conference on Disarmament, can play in promoting the objectives of the new Convention. The horrible atrocities and genocidal acts committed during recent conflicts have speeded up negotiations on establishing international criminal jurisdiction on war crimes and crimes against humanity. By establishing the ad hoc tribunals on former Yugoslavia and on Rwanda, the international community reaffirmed an important principle: all those having committed war crimes or crimes against humanity are to be held personally responsible and accountable. It is our legitimate expectation that all persons indicted by the tribunals will be brought to justice and moreover that failing to cooperate fully with the tribunals will not remain without consequences. The experience gained from the functioning of these two ad hoc tribunals has paved the way for the wider acceptance of the idea of an international criminal court, thus creating a firm legal basis at the universal level for the establishment of individual criminal responsibility with