And the issue is critical because the experience of the Yugoslavia Tribunal has shown that, without the cooperation of states gathering information and having the capability to collect it and then divulge it to the Court, it is very difficult to mount investigations and effective prosecutions. The like-minded states have also, for the first time, started seriously coordinating their activities on a number of substantive issues in the Statute and will continue to do so. Lots of proposals are floating around that will be aired either this week or next week because the substantive debate on the remaining unresolved issues takes place next week, and we are hoping to continue to work with them in support of ideas that would enhance the effectiveness of the Court. To go back to one thing that I didn't mention, another important thing is that tomorrow the first African and Arab meeting will take place, and we are also hoping that this discussion among different regions will likewise lead to a more effective and independent Court. Regardless of all the positive developments, it does need to be said that a lot of work remains to be done before Rome.
Progress is steady but it is still very slow.
The Statute, just to give you a couple of statistics, as it stands now has some 99 articles, and 175 pages with a tendency to end up being more, and there are about 1700 bracketed provisions. Which means that the NGOs and the like-minded states, hopefully broadening their base of support from now until Rome, will have a heavy workload at the Rome conference. And finally we have a short summary introduction from Mona Rishmawi, who is the Director of the Center for the Independence of Judges and Lawyers with the International Commission of Jurists in Geneva. Let's remind ourselves of what this exercise is all about and our colleague here said, it's about ending impunity for gross violations of human rights and humanitarian law. The Rome conference will take place in the year of the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.