NEW YORK, Friday, December 18, 2020 (WAFA) - The 19th session of the Assembly of States Parties (ASP) to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) currently held in New York unanimously elected for the second time in a row the State of Palestine as a member of the International Criminal Court's executive office, said Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Minister Riyad Malki.

He said that one of the tasks of the Bureau is to supervise the work of the ASP, including the promotion of the universality of the Rome Statute and to urge non-member states to join the Court, in addition to taking the necessary steps to ensure that the ICC performs its functions under the Rome Statute.

Maliki stressed that ICC must provide justice to the victims and punish the criminals to guarantee the protection of civilians and justice, including in Palestine, which has witnessed the continuation of the Israeli occupation crimes for decades without accountability.

He added that ICC must perform its role without double standards and be indifferent to the threats and pressures that aim to discourage it from carrying out its responsibilities under the Rome Statute.

Maliki welcomed the clear positions of the member states, their condemnation of the threats directed against the International Criminal Court, and their affirmation of continued commitment to supporting it to implement its important role in fighting war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, and the crime of aggression.

T.R.