Yemen hosts regional conference on democracy and human rights; hope for International Criminal Court

The Inter-Governmental Regional Conference on Democracy, Human Rights and the role of the International Criminal Court opened in Sanaa, Yemen, on Sunday.

In a speech during the opening session, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh stressed that respect of states' sovereignty, non interference in their internal affairs, sovereignty of the law and protection of human rights should occupy the first concern of international organizations.

He underlined the dire need for an international firm stance against the Israeli violations, stressing the importance of obliging it to commit itself to the relevant international resolutions.

He also pointed out that the ongoing events in Iraq require accelerating the process of ending the occupation there, and enabling the Iraqis to practice their rights to self determination, and to preserve their security, territorial integrity and stability.

For his part, Secretary General of the Arab League Amr Moussa stressed that the "Israeli crimes committed against the Palestinians represent a dangerous violation of the international laws and are considered to be anti-human and war crimes."

He underlined the importance of the International Criminal Court due to its role in deterring international crimes and implementing the international law.

He also called on the world powers, on top of which the United States, to have a real genuine dialogue and not conflict with the Arabs.