Press Release: 20.01.

2012 Mali becomes first African state to sign an agreement on the enforcement of sentences with the ICC On Friday, 13 January 2012, the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the Republic of Mali concluded an agreement on the enforcement of sentences of imprisonment. The agreement was signed by Judge Fatoumata Dembele Diarra, First Vice-President of the ICC, and Mr Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Mali, in the nations capital, Bamako. Mali is the first state in Africa to conclude such an agreement with the ICC. The enforcement of sentences is a crucial element of a well-functioning justice system, and the ICC is grateful to every State Party that expresses its willingness to accept persons convicted by the Court, Judge Diarra remarked. This agreement with Mali the first to be signed by an African State is particularly significant considering the principle enshrined in the Statute and Rules of the ICC that States Parties should share the responsibility for enforcing sentences of imprisonment, in accordance with principles of equitable geographical distribution. Minister Maiga expressed Malis firm commitment to the ICC, saying: Through this ceremony, Mali wishes to reaffirm its unfailing commitment to human rights and the ideals of international peace and justice on which the ICC was founded. Signing this agreement is an ideal means of conveying Malis determination to honour the commitments it made by signing and ratifying the Rome Statute. Furthermore, this is a modest, symbolic contribution from Mali to assist the Court in best serving its mandate, in particular in the fight against impunity for international crimes the world over. The Rome Statute, the founding treaty of the ICC, provides that sentences handed down by judges shall be served in a State designated by the Court from a list of States which have indicated to the Court their willingness to accept sentenced persons. In addition to the agreement with Mali, the ICC has signed agreements on the enforcement of sentences with the governments of Austria, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Serbia and Colombia. The ICC is the first permanent, treaty-based, international criminal court established to help end impunity for the perpetrators of the most serious crimes of concern to the international community, namely war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

Ann Curry s Interview with Ahmadinejad Makes News on American Hikers By Chris Ariens on September 13, 2011 7:33 AM Ann Currys 45-minute sit-down with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad today included a question about how the country could have sentenced two American hikers, Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, to such a harsh sentence 8 years for straying into Iran in 2009. But she wasnt expecting his answer, which made headlines about an hour before the Today show went on the air. Ahmadinejad: They illegally crossed our borders, and they were arrested by the border guards, but we tried last year to free one of the three persons, and we are also trying to make arrangements for their freedom, for the freedom of the other two. I think these two persons will be freed in a couple of days.

Curry: In a couple of days? Ahmadinejad: Yes. In a couple of days, they will be free. Good Morning America also reported the news in the show open. ABCs Jim Sciutto reported from Washington, DC: ABC News confirming the president has said the hikers will be released in two days. ABC spoke with their lawyer as well as Sarah Shourd, Bauers fiancee. who was released last year. On CBS, correspondent Mark Philips reported the story from London for the Early Show. Neither ABC nor CBS mentioned the news was made during an NBC interview. Press Release: 17.01.2012 Legal aid granted provisionally to Laurent Gbagbo On 28 December 2011, the Registrar of the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued a provisional decision on Laurent Gbagbos application for legal aid. The Registrar considered Mr Gbagbo to be eligible for legal assistance paid by the Court, in light of the statements on his financial situation contained in the application which he submitted on 6 December 2011. He has been granted legal aid on a provisional basis, pending verification of the information on his means and the outcome of the investigation into his financial situation. The Registrar has granted Laurent Gbagbo legal aid for the purposes of his legal representation during the pre-trial phase of the proceedings. Such legal representation is necessary in order to safeguard the suspects rights and to ensure the proper conduct of the proceedings. The Registrars decision may be amended at any time if it is found that Laurent Gbagbo is able to bear the costs of his defence. The Court may seek States cooperation for the purposes of identifying and locating a suspects property and assets. Upon an order of the judges, such property and assets may be frozen or seized to cover the costs of the suspects defence and to recover any sums which may have been paid by the Court under the legal aid scheme. The Court may also decide to freeze or seize a suspects property and assets as a preventive measure with a view to paying reparations for victims after the trial. The system of legal assistance paid by the Court was established in order to enable suspects and accused persons to receive an effective and competent defence when they have insufficient financial means to appoint a defence team. It is one of the key components in safeguarding the rights of participants in proceedings before the ICC. Legal aid is nevertheless necessarily subject to the resources available in the Courts budget.

October 23, 2011 Interview with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad By Fareed Zakaria GPS ZAKARIA: Welcome to our viewers, and welcome President Ahmadinejad. Thank you for joining us. Let me begin with something that's fresh in the news. President Obama has said that all American troops will be out of Iraq by the end of the year. In light of this announcement, will your government increase its efforts to train the Iraqi army, since there will be a need in Iraq for training and support. Will the Iranian government be providing greater support in that area?

PRES. MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD, IRAN (through translator): I think this is going to be a very good idea and it should have been done sooner, maybe seven or eight years ago, and they would avoid killing so many Iraqi people or Americans as well. I think they should have done it much earlier. But the people in the Iraqi government did not accept the increased presence of the Americans. The Iraqi government is independent and sovereign. They should decide how to provide trainings for the military personnel. We should wait for the decision of the Iraqi government. ZAKARIA: But do you expect that Iran's engagement and involvement with the Iranian government will now increase as a result of the American withdrawal? AHMADINEJAD (through translator): I don't think there is going to be any change. We have a special relationship with Iraq. There's a historical relationship between the two governments. We have a very friendly and amicable relationship with the Iraqi people. Although there was a war between the two nations under Saddam Hussein, but that was not able to disturb this relationship. ZAKARIA: Moammar Gadhafi is dead. What is your reaction to the news of his death? AHMADINEJAD (through translator): The - it was no different. I think it's the - the will of the people that should work and prevail everywhere. Justice, freedom and respect to people, this is the right of all nations. Of course, we feel very sorry that people are being killed. I wish everybody would respect justice and freedom, and there would be no need for any conflict or clash. In the beginning, we recommended a dialogue between the two sides and all parties, but they did not pay attention to our recommendations. And, of course, NATO intervention was effective in exacerbating the conflict. ZAKARIA: You say that the will of the people should prevail everywhere, but in Syria, the government of Syria is engaging in a very brutal crackdown, even a massacre. Turkey, which has been very friendly to Syria and to the Assad regime, has broken with the regime and now has publicly called for President Assad to step down. Will you add your voice and call on the Assad regime to step down and listen to the will of the people? AHMADINEJAD (through translator): We have a friendly relationship with both Turkey and Syria. Our policy is independent. We think that we should respect the independence and sovereignty of all nations of everywhere in the world - in the United States, in Europe. I think all parties must sit and reach an understanding and there should be no intervention from outside or interfering, neither from NATO or us. ZAKARIA: But, Mr. President, you - you make it sound like the two sides are equal. In fact, what is happening in Syria is not that there are protesters are killing the security forces, the vast majority of deaths are the security forces killing innocent men, women and children. Surely, this is something you should condemn clearly and not say both sides are to blame. If justice and freedom are - are the goal, it is important that President Assad hear your message. AHMADINEJAD (through translator): Yes. Justice dictates that nobody should kill the other. Nobody, nobody, nobody has the right to kill others. You know, the governments ignore the opponents. We are going to make greater efforts to encourage both the government of Syria and the other side, all parties to reach an understanding. But I think and we believe that there should be no interference from outside. The positions of the United States are not going to help. They have never helped. They could do things better in Libya, for example. From the beginning, we said there should be an international team to mediate in order to encourage all parties to 3

reach an understanding. But NATO had ambitions in Libya. They wanted the oil resources in Libya. There was no need to kill so many people. This is the situation in Syria, too. (END VIDEOTAPE) ZAKARIA: There's a lot more of my interview with President Ahmadinejad still to come. Up next, the United States says Iran plotted to kill the Saudi ambassador to Washington. What does Iran say? You'll find out. (COMMERCIAL BREAK) ZAKARIA: And we are back with more of my interview with President Ahmadinejad. I'm going to ask him about Washington's allegations about the plot to kill the Saudi ambassador. One point, Washington alleges that Iran's Revolutionary Guards' Qods Force, its foreign expeditionary force, was involved, and the head of that force is General Suleimani. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) ZAKARIA: Let me ask you, President Ahmadinejad, about the controversy regarding the assassination plot. Have you talked to General Suleimani, the heads of the Qods Force, and can you tell us that he personally assured you that there was no involvement? AHMADINEJAD (through translator): I think we must look into the root of the problem or the issue. The claims of the United States against our country has been continuing for more than 33 years, and they create a different problem. They created a nuclear issue, and today they create and say such things. We need really to kill the ambassador of our brotherly country? What is the reason and the interest behind that? We are a civilized nation. We have a strong logic, and, with this strong logic, we talk to all nations. We never had any intention to hurt Saudi Arabia. Do we really want to do it in the United States? And is that a way, really? ZAKARIA: If I may, Mr. President, have you spoken to General Suleimani, and has he assured you? AHMADINEJAD (through translator): I don't need to talk about it. ZAKARIA: So you haven't talked to him? AHMADINEJAD (through translator): There is no need to do it because we have heard many similar things from the United States. The whole world says Iranian people are wise, and we should see the motives in the United States. ZAKARIA: But President Ahmadinejad, you have seen - you're - you're a man who reads a lot. You have seen - you have seen the WikiLeaks cables, cable from the U.S. ambassador in Saudi Arabia, quoting the king of Saudi Arabia, urging the United States to attack Iran and to, quote-unquote, "chop off the head of the snake." This is not something the U.S. is asking, this is something the Saudi government is saying because of their concerns about Iranian influence and its nuclear program. 4

AHMADINEJAD (through translator): Look, I think the information that is being published is a planned work. We are not going to make policies based on this information. We should receive information from reliable sources. We have no problem with the governments of the region and we know that these problems are being provoked by outside forces. We do not recognize the Zionist regime because this regime is basically illegitimate. We have no problems of the people of the United States. We love them. We have problems with the government of the United States. What are the American bases doing in our region? During the current year, they made military contract amounting to $90 billion with the countries of the region. And United States is doing a very ugly thing. They are spending so much money for these military bases. They can spend this money for the American unemployed. Have more than $1,000 billions of dollars for military budget. If they spend this money for the American economy, is it necessary for the people to go to Wall Street? ZAKARIA: Before the Arab spring, Iran was widely loved in the Arab world. This is - the poll showed that. In the last poll, Iran's standing have dropped to 14 percent because I think you are seen as supporting Syria as it brutalized its people. You have the oldest - the longest serving leader in the Middle East now, except for Oman. The Supreme Leader has been there for decades. Iran's standing in the Middle East has dropped. AHMADINEJAD: (INAUDIBLE). ZAKARIA: By the objective polls. This is not my opinion. AHMADINEJAD (through translator): I think if you want to put an end then to all dialogue, we should have an experiment - an objective and practical experiment. President Obama or any European leaders, whoever. Those who claim to be the best, they can come with me. We should go together to any country they wish without any security guards, and we join hands and we go to the streets and then we will wait for people. How they react. There is no need for any polling. There is no need for any media campaign. And we just wait for the people to show, to see their views and their reactions from Japan to Uruguay, from the United States to Indonesia, from Scandinavia to South Africa. I am ready to do it. President Obama, the German Chancellor, the French president, British prime minister - any of them. Especially in Arab countries. Let's go together. And they can also set the time and determine the place. We go together and we will see how the people react.