Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro (right) in a press conference next to ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan (left) in Miraflores Palace, Caracas, on Tuesday, April 23, 2024. Photo: Presidential Press.
The president of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, has finished a second meeting with the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, in which they reached four agreements for joint cooperation.
From the Miraflores Palace in Caracas this Tuesday, 23 April, the Venezuelan president reported that he spoke about multiple topics with the ICC prosecutor.
“We have discussed multiple topics,” added the head of state. “Yesterday we had a short, two-hour meeting, and today we spent two hours again, discussing various topics.”
Presidential Announcements
“We are totally committed to the internal legal system, the principles, and the values of the Rome Statute [of the ICC], as the signatories that we are,” said the president.
Below, you can read the four agreements for joint cooperation made between the president and the ICC prosecutor:
- To make the most of the technical assistance of the ICC Prosecutor’s Office, initially inaugurated on Monday, April 22, 2024, in Caracas.
- To commit to follow the legal renewal process in matters of justice and human rights that has been ratified.
- That Venezuela will welcome the technical assistance of an ICC delegation that will arrive in the country in three weeks.
- That Venezuela will reopen the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).
#EnVivo 📹 | "Estamos absolutamente de acuerdo en fortalecer las capacidades nacionales para asegurar la efectiva administración de la justicia y sacar el máximo provecho a la asistencia técnica de la oficina de la Fiscalía inaugurada el día de ayer 22 de abril, en Caracas",… pic.twitter.com/dm7mCWyhg6
— Prensa Presidencial (@PresidencialVen) April 23, 2024
Reopening of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
During his speech, President Maduro revealed that he received a proposal by High Commissioner Volker Türk, to reopen the OHCHR, following the impasse between them and the national government after issuing interventionist statements in February.
The head of state explained that they have overcome prior frictions and are prepared to maintain new relations. He added that the doors of the Miraflores Palace are open to receive High Commissioner Volker Türk and his delegation.
“The technical assistance of the delegation that arrives in Venezuela in three weeks is welcome, and an exchange according to international standards will take place with it,” the president confirmed.
The ICC prosecutor stated that with the key support of President Maduro, progress will be made in the work plan to maintain a respectful dialogue between the ICC and the Venezuelan state. He applauded the fact that the Venezuelan government is going to incorporate the Rome Statute into the legislation of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.
“We are going to internally agree on certain milestones or deadlines to ensure that there is progress, not on any one side but together,” said the prosecutor, “we want to move forward with the approach established in our memorandum of understanding and complementarity!”
(RedRadioVE) by Ana Perdigón with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/AU
