TEHRAN (Iran News) Hamish Falconer, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan made the remarks on Monday as lawmakers repeatedly asked him to give a definitive answer on possible British action following the arrest warrants for Netanyahu Gallant issued by the Hague court.

Falconer said that there is a domestic legal process that must be followed to “determine whether to confirm and execute The Hague court’s ruling.”

He claimed that this has “never been tested” because no defendant named by the International Criminal Court has yet visited the UK.

Falconer stressed however that the British parliament has a common position on the rule of international law as an “important obligation” and that The Hague court is an important and main institution in the implementation of these norms, and the issues related to the jurisdiction of this court were examined

Falconer said that all the actions of the current British government will be “guided” by relying on international law.

The ICC has issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu and Gallant on charges of committing war crimes, crimes against humanity and using hunger (starving the people of Gaza) as a weapon against Palestinians.

Under the Rome Statute, all signatories are obligated to arrest the Zionist leaders and handed them to the ICC to face trial over the charges brought against them.

Falconer said that there is a domestic legal process that must be followed to “determine whether to confirm and execute The Hague court’s ruling.”

He claimed that this has “never been tested” because no defendant named by the International Criminal Court has yet visited the UK.

Falconer stressed however that the British parliament has a common position on the rule of international law as an “important obligation” and that The Hague court is an important and main institution in the implementation of these norms, and the issues related to the jurisdiction of this court were examined

Falconer said that all the actions of the current British government will be “guided” by relying on international law.

The ICC has issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu and Gallant on charges of committing war crimes, crimes against humanity and using hunger (starving the people of Gaza) as a weapon against Palestinians.

Under the Rome Statute, all signatories are obligated to arrest the Zionist leaders and handed them to the ICC to face trial over the charges brought against them.

The post UK courts to decide on ICC ruling against Netanyahu: Official appeared first on Iran News Daily.

The post Iranian Spokesman Hails ICC Arrest Warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant appeared first on Iran News Daily.

The post ICC Issues Arrest Warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant appeared first on Iran News Daily.

Commercial attache of Embassy of Turkey in this meeting expressed his satisfaction over his presence at the ICC and with emphasizing Iran’s high capacities said that due to importance of trade with Iran, he is in Tehran and he offers consultations to Iranian and Turkish companies for broadening trade exchanges and investments.

He added that despite sanctions against Iran, this country has high capacities and it can lead to opportunities for increasing trade exchanges. He then pointed to Turkey’s efforts to be a member of Europe’s Custom Union and noted that cooperation with Iranian companies create good opportunities.

He reiterated that Turkey is ready to cooperate and give consultations in line with broadening trade with Iran and doors of Turkey are open to Iranian companies.

The Turkish delegation attending the ICC meeting was comprised of representatives of different economic fields of Turkey.

In the meeting, capabilities of the cooperative sector in different fields were presented and the most important challenges ahead of economic activists were discussed.

Manager of the international affairs of the ICC Mr. Banaee Far in the meeting pointed to the existence of specialized commissions at the ICC, and said that there are 13 specialized commissions in all economic sectors which are considered as the think-tanks of the chamber.

He went on to say that the amount of import from Turkey is around $3.3b which needs to be reconsidered. He then pointed to the capacities of MUSIAD (Independent Industrialists and Businessmen’s Association)  in different countries and stipulated that the capabilities and capacities of MUSIADs can be a good solution for resolving some challenges.

In the meeting some issues like defining joint projects, creating a joint desk between ICC  and MUSIAD of Turkey, knowing legal and customs issues, fishery, money transfer and forex exchanges were of the topics which were discussed in this meeting

The post Turkish Trade Delegation at ICC Explores Ways to Boost Trade appeared first on Iran News Daily.

For years the Zionist regime has continued its atrocities and crimes against the Palestinian people or anybody who has opposed this killing regime, and unfortunately the international bodies have taken passive or indifferent stands against this fake regime, and the Zionists have been emboldened to go on killing spree in the Occupied Lands.

Now it is reported that Palestinian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Riyad al-Maliki has handed over to the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) a file on the Israeli crimes committed against Palestinian people.

During a meeting in The Hague with Karim Khan, Maliki stressed that the state of Palestine continues to cooperate with the ICC and the staff of the prosecutor’s office to submit all documented information that proves that Israeli military and civilian officials have committed serious and continuous crimes against the Palestinian people. He stressed that all of these crimes fall within the jurisdiction of the ICC.

The top Palestinian diplomat stressed the importance of the ICC and its role in holding war criminals accountable in light of the rise to power of the extremist government of terrorist settlers, who bluntly express their schemes that are based on field executions and forcible expulsion.

The Palestinian minister said bringing the criminals before international justice will contribute to the protection of the Palestinian people and deter crimes committed against them.

Elsewhere in his remarks, he called on the ICC prosecutor to pay a visit to Palestine and give priority to administration of justice.

Palestinian human rights advocates last year hailed a decision by the ICC to affirm its full territorial jurisdiction over the occupied Palestinian territories.

Israel is not a member of the ICC, but Palestine was allowed to join in 2015 and has since called for an investigation into Israeli crimes.

The Hague-based court has already opened an investigation into possible war crimes by Israel in both the occupied West Bank and the besieged Gaza Strip. In 2021, the UN documented 2,934 grave violations against 1,208 Palestinian children in occupied Palestine and the Gaza Strip. The UN Human Rights Council, Human Rights Watch, and other international human rights organizations have accused Israel of apartheid in the past two years.

Israel has killed more than 210 Palestinians since the start of 2022 in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health .

So we can see several open files against the Zionists’ crimes in the ICC but it has been no serious action from this international body yet and it seems like any other file this one will also be ignored or verdict will be nothing to bother the Zionists.

Local and international rights groups have condemned Israel’s excessive use of force and “shoot-to-kill policy” against Palestinians, at a time that mainstream media and Western powers turn a blind eye to the atrocities committed by the Israeli occupation forces on a daily basis.

Many believe Israel will get away with its crimes against Palestinians as long as it enjoys protection and patronage from the United States.

We have not forgotten the killing of Aljazeera journalist Abu Akleh by the Zionist soldiers in the occupied West Bank and so far there has been no serious international action or legal procedure against Israel.

So this time it is an acid test for the ICC as a so-called independent body to launch a probe about this file and have a serious and fair verdict and decision on the case in order to win the trust of the Palestinians and independent and oppressed people.

People in the world will trust the international bodies when they see these bodies are fair and do not  bow down to the pressure of the big powers and please them.

The countdown for the result of this file and the verdict has been ticked and the ICC can show the world people whether they can trust on international bodies like the ICC or not because in most cases these bodies have been passive and even their verdicts have been in a way to please all parties, predominantly the big powers. So we can wait and see whether the Palestinians can trust the ICC or they themselves have to take action against the Zionists and continue their intifadha against this fake regime to bring it down and win back the occupied lands.

The post New Acid Test for ICC appeared first on Iran News Daily.

According to the reports, ICC hosted this online coordination meeting with presence of deputy head of the ICC on international affairs as well as some of economic activists and participants in the exhibition which is to be held in Algeria.

The 53th international exhibition of Algeria which had postponed two years due to the pandemic will be held in June 2022 and the ICC has been chosen as the operator of the pavilion of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the exhibition.

In the meeting, deputy head of the ICC on international affairs Mr. Mohammad Ali Zeighami had a full explanation on the capacities and capabilities of the cooperatives sector of the company and economic activists in return announced their concerns regarding the presence in this event in Algeria.

Meanwhile Iran’s Ambassador to Algeria Mr. Mashalchi Zadeh, for his part, briefed the participants of the current economic climate and condition of Algeria and said Algeria has a good market with high capacity for Iranian products.

So far several companies have announced readiness to attend the exhibition in the fields of technical and engineering services, food products, steel, steel products, pastry, chocolate, paint and resin, petrochemical material, carpet, nano products and pharmaceuticals and medical equipment.

In the meeting, expansion of trade ties with Algeria and presenting the latest information about the trade regulations of Algeria to Iranian traders were discussed.

The trade exchange between Iran and Algeria in the first 8 months of the current year has been around $67m, mostly exports and with participation in this event in Algeria, Iran’s exports to this African country can increase considerably as their trade volume stood at $124m last year.

The post ICC Holds Coordination Meeting for Exhibition in Algeria appeared first on Iran News Daily.

According to reports, the ICC as the representatives of Iran’s cooperatives sector attended the ICA-AP meeting and during the election process for the board of directors, the ICC won 201 votes out of the total 234 votes to become a member of the boards. The ICC could defeat for the seat some of its strong rivals in the Asia-Pacific region like Japan and Australia.

The meeting for electing the board of directors was held on Tuesday in Seoul.

The rise in the number of votes for the ICC during the ICA-AP election can be seen as the outcome of activities and close interactions of the ICC as the representative of Iran’s cooperatives sector with the global and regional movements of cooperatives and it can be seen as a move forward.

The International Cooperative Alliance Asia-Pacific is the regional organization uniting, promoting and developing cooperative enterprises across all business sectors in Asia and the Pacific.

The post ICC Elected as Member of Board of Directors of ICA-AP appeared first on Iran News Daily.

The webinar was held with cooperation of Embassy of South Africa in Tehran last week with participation of the President of Iran Chamber of Cooperatives (ICC) Mr. Bahman Abdollahi, the Ambassador of South Africa in Tehran, the President of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), the Deputy Minister of South Africa in Small Business Development, the representative of SEWA cooperative, the head of ICC’s Women Committee and the Director of Cooperative Training, Promotion and Research Office of Iranian government, as well as prominent women cooperators from Iran and South Africa.

Addressing the webinar, the president of ICC Mr. Abdollahi said, “Today, one of the biggest goals of countries is to achieve sustainable economic development.” Economic development, as one of the contexts for the growth and development of human societies, can be successful when it is done with the help and participation of all social groups and for all of them.”

He added, “Human resource is one of the most important and effective factors in the development of societies and women, as half of the world’s population, have a major role in development and role in society.”

He continued: “According to international statistics, a significant share of work in the world is done by women formally and informally. Therefore, if the potential talents of this section of society are considered, it can be considered as one of the largest sources of investment for developing countries. Therefore, women with their wide participation in various economic sectors can move the wheel of a country’s economy and play an active and major role in developing the economy and advancing the goals of society’.”

Abdollahi acknowledged that the presence of women in the economy and labor market will have various consequences, including increasing the level of family income, reducing the burden of dependence, increasing productivity and ultimately improving the level of welfare in economy.

He also mentioned the expansion of international cooperation between countries and the transfer of experiences as one of the ways to strengthen the women’s cooperatives, and stressed the need to strengthen the relations of the Iranian cooperative movement with South Africa.

Meanwhile South African Ambassador to Tehran Vika Mazwi Khumalo, for his part, pointed to the history of the women’s movement as well as the occasion of Women’s Day in South Africa. He noted, “South Africa celebrates Women’s Day on 9 August, since it was on this day in 1956 that these struggle heroes led some 20,000 women from various regions in South Africa to march to the then apartheid capital of Pretoria in protest against the so-called “pass laws,” which limited and controlled the movement of Africans inside their own country.”

He also mentioned the occasion of Women’s Day in Iran and continued: “I am aware, in the Islamic Republic of Iran, we have recently celebrated the birth of Fāṭimah al-Zahrā, on 20 Jumada al-Thani. This significant event is commemorated, as the Iranian Mother’s Day. She was the leader of all women, an exemplar of women, and above all, a sincere Muslim, who played a significant and key role within her community as well as the Moslem faith.”

He further referred to the position of women in South Africa and stated: “South Africa has managed to register significant advances for Women, since 1994. Women and their rights are not only enshrined in our Constitution, but South African women have been increasingly more active in government and policy-making, with 50% of the national cabinet and 46% of our Parliament constituting women.

Then Ariel Guarco, the President of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), welcomed the cooperation between the Cooperative Movement of Iran and South Africa and praised the initiative.

In part of his message, he emphasized the important role of women in strengthening cooperative identity and creating more equitable communities in the world. In this line, cooperatives, due to their nature, can make a great contribution.

The post Int’l Webinar on Role of Women in Economic Development Held appeared first on Iran News Daily.

During the meeting, Baharvand and Judge Hofmanski conferred on the latest developments related to the International Criminal Court, including the cases of Afghanistan and occupied Palestine brought to the ICC, the statement noted.

“The Iranian official referred to the ICC president’s remarks about a change in the United States’ approach to the International Criminal Court, and expressed hope that the U.S. will not impose unlawful sanctions against nations and international bodies in the future,” it concluded.

Also on Thursday, the Iranian diplomat met with Christophe Bernasconi, the Secretary-General of the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH) at the organization’s headquarters in The Hague.

During the meeting, Baharvand underlined the importance of the documents developed within the framework of the HCCH for facilitating the exchanges and interactions between individuals and companies and also for the economic development of countries, the Iranian Foreign Ministry said in a separate statement.

He pointed to the latest developments on the process of Iran’s accession to the Hague Convention Abolishing the Requirement of Legalization for Foreign Public Documents (the Apostille), and said, “The Islamic Republic of Iran will soon submit the documents of its accession to the Convention after finalizing its implementation instructions in coordination with relevant bodies.”

Last week, Baharvand also met with Fernando Arias, the director-general of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). The meeting was held on the sidelines of the 25th annual Conference of the OPCW States Parties.

During the meeting, the Iranian diplomat reiterated that Iran has been the main victim of chemical arms in the contemporary era.

“Although more than three decades have passed since the bitter experience of chemical weapons being used by the regime of [former Iraqi dictator] Saddam Hussein against Iranian military troops as well as civilians and even Iraqis themselves, still this harrowing memory cannot be forgotten as those injured in the chemical attacks are still suffering, especially at a time when they have numerous problems gaining full access to drugs and medical equipment due to unilateral and cruel sanctions,” he said. “Iran condemns the use of chemical weapons in any part of the world and under any circumstances, and, at the same time, respects the ideals of the Chemical Weapons Convention.”

Baharvand and Arias also exchanged views on ways of enhancing cooperation between Iran and the OPCW.

The Iranian diplomat underlined the importance of the full, effective and non-discriminatory implementation of all provisions of the Chemical Weapons Convention. He said it is incumbent upon member states to live up to their obligations under the convention regarding the exchange of chemical materials and equipment for peaceful purposes. Baharvand further stressed the importance of removing trade barriers between member states and not imposing economic sanctions on one another.

The post Senior Iranian diplomat meets ICC chief appeared first on Iran News Daily.

The post Iran Denies Fines over Gas Import Deal with Turkmenistan appeared first on Iran News Daily.