Tunis — Interim President Foued Mebazaa received here on Friday morning William Pace, convenor of the civil society coalition for the International Criminal Court in Rome, who is on a visit in Tunisia.

At the end of the meeting, the latter said he had come to congratulate the Interim President and Government on Tunisia's decision to ratify the Rome treaty. "We hope to reinforce cooperation with the Tunisian Government for the consecration of one of the most important treaties in international law", he declared.

He went on saying that "everywhere in the world where governments and peoples move towards constitutional democracy, one of the main treaties suggested by reformers is the Rome treaty that puts an end to the impunity of crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide".

Tunisia's decision to ratify the treaty of Rome and numerous other treaties relating to human rights since the first meetings of the Interim Government best testifies to this approach, he affirmed, reckoning that "the Tunisian initiative will certainly be used as an example in the Arab region and in the world".

He said in this regard that he had heard with satisfaction that Tunisia will, as soon as possible, file the necessary instruments for the ratification of the treaty to the United Nations in New York.

He also voiced hope that the Tunisian civil society will be represented in the coalition for the ICC.

The Coalition gathers 2500 civil society organizations in the world and works in close collaboration with the International Criminal Court.

Source: TAP