Nicosia, Nov 24 (IANS) European Union member states are obliged to implement an arrest warrant against Israeli and Hamas leaders issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC), EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said here.
“The states that signed the Rome convention are obliged to implement the decision of the court. It’s not optional,” said Borrell on Saturday after a workshop in Nicosia organised by the “Two-State Coalition for Israel and Palestine,” an Israeli-Palestinian activist organisation.
Borrell, who was the keynote speaker at the event, made the remarks when asked by journalists to comment on the arrest warrant issued by the ICC against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Hamas leader Ibrahim Al-Masri, for alleged crimes against humanity, Xinhua news agency reported.
Asked to comment on a report that Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has invited Netanyahu to visit the country, Borrel said that “the arrest warrants issued by the court have to be implemented also by Hungary…by all members of the European Union. And if they don’t, then there is a legal case of not fulfillment of the legal obligation”.
He also rebuffed accusations from Israel that the warrants were ‘anti-semitic’, saying that a phrase alluding to the “darkest periods of history” should not be used lightly.
“Every time someone disagrees with the policy of one Israeli government he is being accused of anti-semitism…. This is not acceptable,” Borrell said.
There has been a mixed response by EU member states to the ICC warrants, with France and Germany saying that they are considering the issue and some countries saying that they would arrest those named in it.
Borrell will travel to Lebanon on Sunday for a series of bilateral talks with Lebanese leaders and United Nations representatives.
–IANS
int/khz
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by BhaskarLive.in and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of BhaskarLive.in We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, BhaskarLive.in takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.
