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16 October 2019 National Assembly IPU Delegation Member Prof. Dr Zarko Obradovic at the panel on Respect for International Law

Wednesday, 16 October 2019

National Assembly IPU Delegation Member Prof. Dr Zarko Obradovic at Panel on Respect for International Law

The member of the National Assembly delegation to the Inter-Parliamentary Union and Chairman of the National Assembly Foreign Affairs Committee Prof. Dr Zarko Obradovic took part in the panel discussion on the topic of Respect for international law in keeping with the UN Charter and other relevant resolutions, at the 141st IPU Assembly in Belgrade.

In his address, Prof. Dr Zarko Obradovic said that in the 1990s the Balkans played out as a theatre of international law violations and the lesson learned at the time was that a breach of international law, however justified, despite the arguments and power of the force behind it, cannot lead to peace and stability, but to an ever longer and worse conflict. The fallout of such conflict is long-term and often irreparable, he said.

That is why in the context of strengthening international law, international criminal courts and tribunals, should not be subject to political abuse, but must have a clear mandate solely to establish criminal liability for serious violations of international law, especially international humanitarian law, Obradovic opined, adding that if international criminal tribunals administer “selective justice” they can easily be accused of being instrumentalized and acting in the interest of a policy contradictory to the objectives of international law.