Checked Against Delivery
Thank you, Mr. President,
Thank you, Deputy Prosecutor Khan, for your briefing. We regret that you once again were not able to brief the Council in person as mandated by the Council due to a visa not being issued.
We reiterate our concern that this severely limits the Council’s opportunity to follow up on important matters referred to the ICC.
I would also like to welcome the Permanent Representative of Libya to the meeting today.
Mr. President, allow me to make three points.
First, Denmark welcomes the substantial progress made by the Office of the Prosecutor in pursuing its mandate under resolution 1970 (2011). We are particularly pleased to note that the surrender of Mr. El Hishri to ICC custody has enabled the start of judicial proceedings.
This marks a significant and encouraging milestone towards accountability for victims and affected communities as well as for the response of the ICC to the referral by this Council.
We express our sincere appreciation to Germany for their support in facilitating this important step and we urge all State Parties to comply correspondingly with their cooperation obligations under the Rome Statute.
In light of these achievements, we recall earlier statements by the Office of the Prosecutor on completing the investigations under this referral and encourage the Office to elaborate on the status of these efforts in the next report.
Mr. President, my second point.
We recognise the steps taken by the Libyan government to strengthen its cooperation with the Office of the Prosecutor in line with resolution 1970 (2011) and Libya’s declaration under article 12(3) of the Rome Statute.
In this context, however, we once again urge the Libyan Attorney General to increase its cooperation with the Court in accordance with its obligations.
This includes providing access to its investigations into crimes in Tarhunah as well as responding to requests for assistance concerning Mitiga Prison. It also entails the surrender of suspects subject to ICC arrest warrants.
My third point, Mr. President.
Denmark stresses the importance of engagement with civil society and victim associations which is key to strengthening the fight against impunity. In this regard, we recognize - and are pleased to note - the Office of the Prosecutor’s continued engagement.
To conclude, Mr. President, I wish to reiterate Denmark’s unwavering support for the Court as an independent judicial institution. Continued support for the Court’s efforts to ensure accountability is essential to the completion of the Libyan reconciliation process, as well as underpinning UNSMIL’s efforts to promote sustainable peace in Libya.
We remain firm in our commitment to defend the Court and the principles and values enshrined in the Rome Statute.
I thank you.
