African Union to push for Rome Statute amendments, says Amina Mohamed

President Uhuru Kenyatta and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs and International Trade Amb. Amina Mohamed during a past function. PHOTO | FILE PSCU

Monday, November 18, 2013

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The African Union is headed for the assembly of State Parties of the Rome Statute meeting later in the month to present its position on the Kenyan cases at the International Criminal Court after the United Nations Security Council rejected the request for their suspension.

Foreign Affairs Cabinet Secretary Amina Mohamed said the AU will push for the amendment of the Rome Statute to give sitting heads of states immunity from prosecution when the group meets in The Hague from November 20.

Amb. Mohamed said African states would meet to discuss the way forward after rejection of its petition to the Security Council.

“The decision by some permanent members of the UN Security Council to abstain from voting on the AU request for deferral of ICC cases facing President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto was a disappointment,” she said.

KUWAIT SUMMIT

The Cabinet Secretary was speaking to the press in Kuwait ahead of the third Afro-Arab Summit. She added that Kenya “will continue to engage constructively” on the ICC matter.

“We are going to the State Parties meeting at The Hague. We will present the AU proposal for amendment of the Rome statute and are optimistic of a positive consideration,” she said.

Amb. Mohamed said the AU was confident of garnering the support of a two-thirds majority of the states’ parties necessary to effect the amendment in the interest of peace and reconciliation in the country.

On the Summit, the Cabinet Secretary said Africa and the Arab world were coming together as traditional partners and neighbours to renew the existing collaboration on diverse spheres of development.

Top on the Summit agenda, she said, are discussions to establish the Africa-Arab Technical and Coordination Committee on Migration to help protect migrant workers.

The Heads of State and delegations will also discuss collaboration on food security, research, capacity building and decision making mechanisms to ensure viable resolutions are made and implemented.

“Before the next joint summit in Uganda in 2015, the collaboration between Africa and the Arab countries should produce something tangible to show to the world,” she said.

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