Following are UN
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks
at the ceremony marking the centennial of the Peace Palace,
in The Hague, 28 August 2013:
at the ceremony marking the centennial of the Peace Palace,
in The Hague, 28 August 2013:
I
want to use this opportunity to make a special appeal on behalf of the Extraordinary
Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia. This Court has achieved important
successes in prosecuting the brutal crimes committed by the Khmer Rouge
regime. Yet, today, the Court is in crisis. The voluntary
contributions on which the Court depends have run dry. Cambodian staff
has not been paid since June. The very survival of the Court is now in
question. Financial failure would be a tragedy for the people of
Cambodia, who have waited so long for justice. It would also be a severe
blow to our shared commitment to international justice.
I
call on the international community to come forward with the financing to
continue this most important judicial process — not just for the weeks ahead,
but to see all the cases through to their conclusion.