ICC officials head for DRC
2004-07-26 23:30
The Hague - Officials from the International Criminal Court (ICC) left The Hague on Monday for a mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the first country where the new permanent war crimes court has opened an official investigation, the court announced.
"Officials from the office of the prosecutor and the registry will hold closed meetings with representatives of the national authorities, civil society and international organisations present in the country," the ICC said.
The goal of this first official visit, which is scheduled to last until Friday, is to "evaluate the possibilities for future cooperation", the court added.
On June 23 this year the ICC prosecutor, Luis Moreno Ocampo from Argentine, announced that his office had opened its first official investigation into "grave crimes" committed in the DRC.
Millions of Congolese have died in the conflicts which have torn apart the region since the 1990s.
The ICC investigation will only focus on crimes committed after the court officially came into existence on July 1, 2002 because the court's mandate to investigate genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity is not retroactive. - Sapa-AFP
- SAPA