Your able guidance is an essential instrument to ensure a successful outcome of our deliberations. Needless to say, in this endeavor you can continue to count on the active cooperation of the Italian delegation. I would also like to take this opportunity to reaffirm Italy s full agreement with the views expressed in various instances by the Presidency of the European Union on the question of the establishment of an International Criminal Court. Mr. Chairman, I asked to take the floor at this stage of the work of the Preparatory Committee, in connection with the Italian Government s offer to host the diplomatic conference for the adoption of a convention on the establishment of an International Criminal Court. This offer goes back to the Fall of 1994 and has been reiterated on many occasions.
National sovereignty has nothing to fear from the consolidation of international law.
We believe that the cause of peace can only profit from the establishment of an International Criminal Court on violations of international humanitarian law and crimes against humanity. Italy is committed to this goal and is ready to host in 1998 a diplomatic conference to sanction the birth of such a Court. My Government is extremely grateful to the entire membership of the U.N. for the support given to our initiative. We will do our best to prove to be worthy of this privilege and to make possible for the conference to succeed. This requires not only full commitment and determination but above all prompt and adequate planning.