Johannesburg - SA will co-operate with the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, the department of justice said on Friday.
"SA is proud of the role that it, together with like minded nations in our region, has played in the negotiation and adoption of the Rome Statute," the deputy minister, Andries Nel, said at the ninth meeting of the Assembly of States Parties (ASP) to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, being held in New York until Saturday.
The Rome Statute established the ASP to provide management oversight of administration of the International Criminal Court.
According to a copy of his speech, Nel referred to the adoption of a definition of the crime of aggression at a review conference in Uganda earlier this year.
He said the definition is a "significant moment" in a process by which humanity has attempted to "limit, control and eventually outlaw war and aggression, and temper its reprehensible impact on society".
He said South Africa had always supported the inclusion in the Rome Statute of a definition of aggression, "to criminalise acts of aggression that have been outlawed by the Charter of the United Nations".
"We call on all states to ratify the amendments on the definition of the crime of aggression as soon as possible, in order for the court to exercise jurisdiction over this crime."
Because of this development he said the ASP mandate to provide management oversight was more important than ever before. He said the court must continue to fight impunity.
"Effective prosecution and conviction of the perpetrators of the most serious crimes known to mankind will be the strongest signal ever that impunity will not be tolerated."
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/Impunity-will-not-be-tolerated-dept-20101210