Delivered by Mr. Saod AlMazrouei, Alternate Political Coordinator
UNOFFICIAL TRANSLATION
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Mr. President,
At the outset, I thank the Prosecutor, Mr. Karim Khan KC, for the informative briefing on the updates relating to the activities of the International Criminal Court in Darfur. I also welcome the Representative of Sudan to today’s meeting.
Mr. President,
Last year alone, Sudan went through exceptional circumstances. During that period, we witnessed the tireless efforts by Sudanese stakeholders supported by international and regional partners, particularly the Trilateral Mechanism, who worked to usher a path towards the beginning of a new transitional period. These efforts were culminated in the signing of the “Political Framework Agreement” last month by a diverse range of Sudanese parties. This is a critical step towards realizing the aspirations of the Sudanese people. We also welcome yet another positive development we witnessed this year, with the launch of the final phase of Sudan’s political process, and in this regard, we express our sincere wishes for the success of Sudanese parties in their upcoming journey towards completing the transitional period.
In parallel to these developments, Sudan continued its engagement with the Office of the Prosecutor, which included facilitating the Prosecutor’s important visit to Sudan in August last year and meetings with government officials as well as relevant individuals in Sudan. With the recent positive political developments, we hope these engagements will continue and will be accompanied by a sincere and constructive dialogue between the International Criminal Court and Sudan, based upon the Court’s principle of complementarity and in line with the national laws of Sudan.
The UAE reaffirms its support for Sudan’s efforts to implement transitional justice mechanisms in accordance with the provisions of the Juba Peace Agreement to ensure justice for the victims in Darfur. Similarly, we also support Sudan’s recent efforts to de-escalate tensions in Darfur through local reconciliation agreements, which contributed to its stability.
To conclude, the Juba Peace Agreement has created a new reality in Sudan and Darfur in particular, which requires the international community to provide the necessary support to Sudan to complete the implementation of the provisions of the Agreement.
Thank you, Mr. President.