SC - Adoption of Resolution 1966 (2010) establishing the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals
Explanation of Vote by Ambassador Thomas Mayr-Harting, Permanent Representative of Austria to the United Nations
New York, 22 December 2010
Today’s adoption of resolution 1966 (2010) establishing the “International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals” is a very important step in the field of international criminal justice.
The establishment of the Residual Mechanism sends a strong message of the Security Council against impunity: The high-level fugitives indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda cannot escape justice and the legacy of these two courts will also be preserved.
At the same time, the resolution sends a clear signal to the Tribunals to take all possible measures to expeditiously complete their work, prepare their closure and ensure a smooth transition to the Mechanism.
In view of our long-standing focus on the rule of law, Austria was happy and honoured to be able to chair the Security Council’s Informal Working Group on International Tribunals and facilitate the resolution adopted today.
I would very much like to thank all delegations for their spirit of compromise which made the adoption of today’s resolution possible. I also wish to thank the Secretariat and, in particular, the Office of Legal Affairs for the invaluable support they have provided to the Working Group during the past two years.
22.12.2010 as delivered
