Mr. President of the Conference,
Mr. Secretary General of the United Nations Organisation,
Government Delegations and Representatives of Civil Society,
Ladies and Gentlemen:

Ever since the establishment of the United Nations, Sweden has been at the forefront of genuine international peace and security efforts. Further to its credit, the people and government of Sweden have also shown an admirable and steadfast commitment towards fostering a respect for human rights, world-wide.

These objectives, and the values and principles that sustain them, are very much shared by the Argentine Republic. My Government therefore welcomes the opportunity to participate again in this forum, here in Stockholm, and discuss issues that we regard as key to the future of mankind.

We should hope that our collective efforts will contribute to furthering the issues for discussion in the panels and workshops in a way that will translate into new steps towards the achievement of peace, tolerance, security, development and justice for all.

This opportunity to discuss strategies suitable to prevent the commission of acts of genocide is timely indeed. With the imprint of the crimes perpetrated during the last Century still vivid, world leaders bear a crucial responsibility toward the future and the well being of our peoples in the 21st century.

I must stress that the Argentine people feel very much identified with the spirit of this forum. Our recent history has made our nation painfully aware of the irreparable consequences of mass violations of human rights and the need to concentrate efforts in preventing them.

During the late nineteen seventies and early eighties forced disappearance, summary execution and torture were methodically employed by a military dictatorship against our people, for ideological and other reasons.

In 1980, as a response, the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights published its historic report denouncing the perpetration of systematic violations of human rights in Argentina. Simultaneously, the United Nations created a working group to deal with the commission of enforced disappearance of persons, focusing upon the Argentine case as a starting point. The role of these inter-governmental organisations was key to uncovering the extent of this tragedy and dispelling the climate of indifference that encouraged the perpetrators to act with impunity.

Having endured this experience and once re-empowered by the restoration of democratic governance and the Rule of Law in 1983, our citizens relentlessly call for the strengthening of political participation and access to economic and social development. They are equally unwavering in their demands for the improvement of mechanisms to protect human rights.

During the last two decades the Argentine Republic has undertaken to protect civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights by ratifying human rights treaties. Furthermore the Government I represent is determined to satisfy our citizens' wish that the State ensures the necessary conditions of peaceful coexistence, with equality, tolerance and justice as paramount values.

The 1956 ratification of the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide was Argentina's first step towards dealing with the issue of genocide. The undertaking to prevent the commission of this type of crime was reinforced by a 1994 Constitutional amendment which subsumed this treaty, together with other human rights treaties, into the supreme hierarchy of the Constitution itself. Recently, the Convention on the Non-Applicability of Statutory Limitations to War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity has been granted similar constitutional status.

We understand that the undertaking to enforce these treaties is a propitious step by the States Parties, and yet much remains to be done in order to prevent the tragic and irreparable consequences caused by the commission of genocide.

The International Community must stimulate the adoption of preventive measures in early stages where ethnic, religious or other divisions provide fertile ground for the identification of different groups as hate symbols. It must find constructive ways of assisting in the promotion of tolerance and understanding where such divisions exist. It must also contribute to the preventive efforts made to overcome the dehumanisation of targeted victim groups and the polarisation that frequently precedes extermination. We also believe, in light of our own history, that the international community should support the notion of justice itself as a tool for prevention.

The 2000 Stockholm International Forum focused on the Holocaust, a collective tragedy that had a momentous impact on the development of international law standards and institutions for the universal and regional protection of human rights. The recognition of fundamental rights that cannot be legitimately restricted through the exercise of governmental power led us to conclude that fundamental rights of men, women and children are not the sole concern of the State. Current standards dictate that States must respect and ensure the human rights of those under their jurisdiction and that they must be answerable to the international community for the alleged violation of their rights and even act in a preventive fashion when needed.

The prevention of violence, and in this case the so called "genocidal" violence, very much depends on the state's efforts to achieve a climate of tolerance and equality in a democratic society. The elimination of all forms of discrimination through education, stressing human rights and civility, wide access to information, apt legislation and the every day proper workings of the administration of justice is no mere undertaking under the human rights treaties ratified by most members of the international community. It is also the basic safeguard for peaceful coexistence in all communities, local and international, large and small. It is a safeguard inextricably linked with the notion of human rights and their enforcement.

Massive and systematic violation of human rights ensuing from the extermination of targeted victims by State agents or by third parties with their acquiescence constitute a breach of international law that in some cases may even be deemed as a threat to international peace and security. In these cases it is incumbent on the United Nations and its organs to decide upon the measures to be taken in order to maintain or restore international peace and security within the framework of the Charter.

History frequently shows that the perpetration of genocide is followed by denial in an attempt to evade investigation, prosecution and punishment of crimes committed as well as erasing the memory of the victims. History also confirms that impunity and indifference only lead to the reiteration of further crimes.

We must demonstrate our political will to prevent and punish genocide by seeking the prosecution of the perpetrators and the judicial clarification of their crimes and the harm caused to the victims.

In this respect we are of the firm belief that the operation of the International Criminal Court as a permanent, independent and impartial international tribunal will provide a safeguard against impunity in these cases. This institution requires the support of all States of the International Community in order to become an effective tool to achieve justice. My Government has furthered its support for the ICC by joining the so called "Friends of the Court" and the Argentine people are pleased with the States Parties Assembly's decision to entrust to one of our nationals the role of Court's Prosecutor.

We have a collective duty to work towards consensus in an area that is vital to the development of international law and its enforcement as well as for the protection of human lives. It is time for the international community as a whole to acknowledge the importance of this task and our shared responsibility in contributing to prevent the reiteration of genocide in the 21st Century.

Once again, on behalf of the people and the Government of Argentina, I applaud the convening of this forum and hope that we might make a contribution towards peace, equality and justice.

Thank you very much.