ANKARA - Turkey has dismissed news reports alleging Ankara had withdrawn its pledge to become a party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
"The news reports do not reflect the truth as there has been no shift in Turkey's position since last year over the International Criminal Court and the Rome Statute," a spokesman with the Turkish Foreign Ministry said Wednesday in response to a question.
A Turkish delegation was set to participate in an ICC meeting in the Hague and the delegation head was scheduled to make a presentation during the meeting, Burak Ozugergin said.
"Our preparations are continuing to become a side to the statute which is explicitly expressed in related documents," Ozugergin said.
The spokesman said Turkey was planning to participate also in a conference in Uganda in May, 2010.
"Turkey supports the basic principles of the Rome Statute that founded the ICC ... and it remains committed to become a party to the statute. However, Turkey considers the statute's failure to bring a definition to the crime of aggression and its lack to include terrorism as major shortcomings," Ozugergin said. (