The Hague-based International Criminal Court (ICC) has finally endorsed the ongoing peace talks between the Ugandan government and the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels, a senior Ugandan government official has said

Henry Okello Oryem, the minister of international affairs and also a member of the government delegation negotiating a peace deal with the LRA, told a press conference in Kampala on Friday that the ICC had finally accepted Uganda's position to talk with the rebels provided impunity does not continue to prevail in the war-torn north.

"ICC is in full support of the peace talks and we have assured them that we will use the traditional justice system to address the impunity in the war ravaged north.

"ICC's major concern is that impunity should not be allowed to prevail. This is going to be addressed by our traditional justice system which has been in existence for thousands of years," said Oryem.

In October 2005, Court issued arrest warrants against rebel leader Joseph Kony and his four commanders of Vincent Otti, Okot Odhiambo, Dominic Ongwen and Raska Lukwiya to answer for the war crimes they have committed in northern Uganda.

The minister explained that the ICC's change of attitude follows the failure by the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the UN to arrest Kony who is now hiding in their area of jurisdiction.

"The ICC has realized that the DRC and the UN cannot execute these warrants of arrest. Therefore they have decided to support the peace process provided there is justice," said Oryem.

Under the traditional justice system, the perpetrators and the victims come together in a meeting mediated by elders. The perpetrators confess their atrocities and it is up to the victims to forgive them or not. The perpetrators can be asked to pay a heavy fine.

The talks are expected to resume next week. Currently both parties are holding consultative meetings with their leaders.

Source: Xinhua