HAMILTON, Canada

The head of the United Nations on Thursday voiced his support for the International Criminal Court (ICC) after it issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense chief Yoav Gallant.

Spokesman Stephane Dujarric told a news conference that “the Secretary-General (Antonio Guterres) respects the work and independence of the International Criminal Court,” when asked about the decisions.

In response to a question from Anadolu about whether Israeli officials with arrest warrants could attend future UN events at the New York headquarters, Dujarric declined to comment on “hypothetical” incidents, saying security staff at the headquarters are there to “keep the building safe They’re not here to arrest people.”

“Any travel by someone indicted by the ICC would also involve the state where the UN conference or UN headquarters is located,” he added.

He noted that “the rule is that there should be no contact between UN officials and individuals subject to arrest warrants.”

However, in the event of an operational or fundamental matter, senior officials from relevant UN organizations may have limited contact with persons with arrest warrants.

In response to Anadolu’s question about member states’ responsibility for the ICC ruling, he said that “across the board, member states have signed various treaties and organizations and statutes. If you sign them, it’s important to fulfill obligations. But this applies to everything .”

He refrained from calling the attack on the Gaza Strip a “genocide” or “war crime”, but told Anadolu that “various parts of the UN, including the Secretary-General, and including the High Commissioner for Human Rights – I think, have been very clear in their concern about the violations and flagrant violations of international law that we have seen.”

Asked whether the UN chief’s possible contact with individuals with arrest warrants undermines the work of the ICC, Dujarric said that “the Secretary-General respects the work of the ICC. He respects its independence.”

“As I have said, there are clear guidelines that have been agreed between the International Criminal Court and the United Nations on ways for the Secretary-General or senior officials to continue to carry out their work,” he added.

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