Foreign Affairs committee  South Africa is a very important and respected state party. It hasn't been dragged kicking and screaming to the Rome Statute. There have been statements more recently in relation to the acknowledgement by South Africa about its obligations under the Rome Statute. They have gone on record as saying they are aware of those responsibilities.

Foreign Affairs committee  Unfortunately, I'll ask for your forgiveness. I don't comment on communications received. We have a process. We receive thousands of communications every month, which are reviewed in terms of our policies, looking at the gravity, the types of evidence and our jurisdiction. We follow the normal process in relation to how we deal with those.

Foreign Affairs committee  I must refer you to the answer I gave a moment ago, if you don't mind.

Foreign Affairs committee  The ICC has jurisdiction provided by the statute. Iran is not a state party to the ICC, nor has the Security Council referred the matter, nor has Iran made a declaration to accept the jurisdiction of the court. In those circumstances, I'm not looking at Iran at all. I have no legal jurisdiction to do so.

Foreign Affairs committee  The jurisdiction in relation to Ukraine arose because Ukraine, as an exercise of its sovereign authorities and article 12.3 of the statute, made a declaration in 2014, and again in 2015, that it accepted the jurisdiction of the court. Because of that, I had jurisdiction to investigate international crimes in Ukraine.

Foreign Affairs committee  I think the most honest answer I can give is that, leaving aside the specific country you mention, as a matter of law, if a crime is committed on the territory of a state party that is within our jurisdiction, the statute gives us authority to look into it. There has to be a crime of sufficient gravity on the territory of a country for which we have jurisdiction.

Foreign Affairs committee  Mr. Chair and honourable members, it's really a great honour and great privilege to be given the opportunity to say a few words. It would be remiss of me not to thank two great Canadians, two great democrats, whom I have the honour of having to my left and my right, the Honourable Irwin Cotler and Allan Rock.