CROATIA SIGNS INTERNATIONAL PENAL COURT STATUTE

( Editorial: --> 7766 ) ROME, Oct 12 (Hina/AR) - By signing the Statute of the International Penal Court on Monday, Croatia has become the 54th country to sign the document which was adopted at a recent UN diplomatic conference in Rome. The Statute was signed by Croatian Ambassador to Italy Davorin Rudolf at the Italian Foreign Ministry in Rome. "The signing of the Statute bears witness to our determination to contribute to respect for international law and the establishment of a just, fair and respectable trial system in the international community", Rudolf said. The establishment of the Court and its activities would "eliminate the intricate and long proceedings and remove politics from the process of adopting verdicts as well as arbitrariness and court inefficiency", he added. The Statute will go into force after it has been ratified by 60 states. (hina) rml/sp 121549 MET oct 98