The Daily Observer (Banjul)
Hatab Fadera
9 November 2009
The Gambian leader, His ExcellencySheikh Professor Alhaji Dr Yahya AJJ Jammeh, last Friday morning received in audience, Harro Adt, a special envoy of Her Excellency Angela Merkel, chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, and the Gambian born deputy prosecutor of the Hague based International Criminal Court (ICC), Fatou Bensouda, in seperate engagements at State House in Banjul.
First to meet the Gambian leader was the German envoy, who told reporters shortly after having audience with President Jammeh that he came to convey a message from the German chancellor. The special envoy who preferred not to reveal in detail their discussion was quick to state that the message delivered to President Jammeh is line with the basis of the longstanding cordial bilateral ties between The Gambia and the Federal Republic of Germany.
"And not only that, it concerns the situation in the region, the organisation of the political global situation at the moment where difficulties have to be overcome," he revealed to reporters.The German envoy went further to state that countries like The Gambia and Germany who are playing their active role in their respective regions should time to time, come together and engage in this sort of political dialogue for a prosperous cooperation.
ICC deputy prosecutor For her part, Deputy Prosecutor Bensouda, who had a detailed discussion with the Gambian leader reminded reporters that The Gambia is a signatory to the Rome Statute which established the International Criminal Court, and that as a state party they also have obligation to occasionally brief them about the work of the ICC, what they are doing, and to continue to seek for cooperation in the case of Darfur - the case against the rebel commanders in the attack on Haskanita in 2007, where African Union peacekeepers were killed. The Gambia has been very cooperative in assisting the court to push that case," she revealed to reporters, while expressing gratitude to the government of The Gambia.
On the ICC indictment of the Sudanese president on war crimes and related charges, which received a unanimous opposition from the African Union, the ICC deputy prosecutor maintained that the AU Constitutive Act is against impunity, which she indicated is a value that they share with the ICC."We have our different mandate, but what is clear is that both the African Union and the International Criminal Court are working towards bringing peace and security to Darfur and I am sure we need to discuss this much further because it is important," she said. "What is also clear, she added, "is that peaace and justice can work together," noting that they are trying to see how they can bring together those who are negotiating peace and those who are doing justice to cooperate and work together to bring peace and security to Darfur.
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