Brasília, 12 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - Brazil's permanent representative at the United Nations, ambassador Gelson Fonseca Júnior, declared that the country respects the right of other countries to sign or not sign international treaties. However, Fonseca Junior said that the decision by the United States to revoke its signature of the Rome Statute was a surprise, because the statute had been negotiated in good faith. The Rome Statute created the International Crime Court.

In a speech this week before the UN Security Council, Fonseca Junior said that it would be an "enormous disservice" to reduce the court's jurisdiction, "with the risk that doing so would not be accepted by member states."

As for the Bosnia mission, Fonseca Junior said Brazil favored speeding up the transfer of police training programs from American coordination to European Union coordination. "Continuation of this program is crucial if international efforts in Bosnia are to be successful," he said. (AB)