“Will study why we signed ICC treaty…” Lula says Brazil’s judiciary will decide on whether Putin will be arrested if he attends G20 Summit 

New Delhi [India], September 11 (ANI): Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Monday said that it is not Brazil’s government or the Parliament but its judiciary that will decide whether Russian President Vladimir Putin would be arrested if he attends next year’s G20 summit in Rio De Janeiro.

Addressing a press conference here today, Lula da Silva who attended this year’s G20 that was held over the weekend expressed hope that the Russia-Ukraine conflict would have ended by the time of the G20 Summit next year.

President Lula expressed hope that all the members of the G20 group participate in the Summit which will be hosted under Brazil’s Presidency next year.

“I want to study ICC issue because the US did not sign the ICC treaty and Russia did not sign the ICC treaty. So, I want to know why Brazil became the signatory……India is not signatory of the ICC treaty. So I think it is the emerging countries that have signed the treaty. These are the things that cause damage to the developing countries,” Brazilian President said. 

“It is not the government or the Parliament it is the Brazilian judiciary system who should make that decision on whether he should be arrested in Brazil,” he said. 

“ICC should review that and that ICC will revise that so that we can go back to normal ties,” he added.

Putin did not attend the G20 summit in Bali, Indonesia and at the Delhi Summit, Russia was represented by its foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov.

In March this year, the International Criminal Court put out an arrest warrant for Putin accusing him of war crimes in Ukraine as part of a global effort to hold the Russian president and the Russian Federation accountable for atrocities beginning with the full-scale February 2022 invasion.

Brazilian President Lula hailed India for holding the “exceptionally well-organised” Summit. He said that world leaders received great warmth in India.

India hosted the G20 Summit under its Presidency on September 9-10. World leaders, including US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak arrived in India to participate in the G20 Summit.

Addressing the press conference, Brazil’s President said that world leaders will be treated well in Brazil. He said his country has the conditions to host the G20 Summit with great tranquillity. He noted that women will be empowered during the G20 Summit in Brazil.

Responding to a question regarding Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping not participating in the G20 Summit in India and how he hopes to bring these leaders to the table, Lula said, “I believe that from the viewpoint of Brazil, we have a joyful people. We’re going to treat people very well in Brazil. And Brazil has the conditions to host, to be the host country with such of an event, with great tranquillity, we’ll organize that…. It’s going to be the first event where women will be empowered in equal terms to participate in the group.”

He said, “And we’re going to have a lot of discussions and possibly going to have more discussions than what had happened here in India. We want to use many cities in Brazil, many Brazilian cities, so that we can have a great number of events possible and try to make the popular G20…”

“And then in the conclusions, we can show a little bit a portrait of more participatory G20, more democratic G20 in Brazil. I don’t know the reasons why President Xi Jinping and I don’t know the reasons why President Putin didn’t come to this meeting. President Putin, maybe he has an explanation because of the war or something like that. But obviously we will invite them. And I hope that they will participate in Rio. I hope that they will participate in Brazil,” he added.

He expressed hope that the war would not continue next year and the war would have ended when they will hold the G20 Summit in Brazil next year. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva expressed hope that all the members of the G20 group participate in the Summit which will be hosted under Brazil’s Presidency next year.

“And I’m hoping that we won’t have any more war next year. I am hoping that when we open the G20 meet in Brazil the war has ended. And we went back to normal times and the Ukrainian people went back to their homes and we started construction process of what was destroyed in Ukraine. And the food production will go back to be normalized and the sales of Fertilizers will go back to a normal situation. So this is what I wish. And so there’s still one year ahead for the meeting, a year and two months, because Brazil will only take over the presidency after November,” Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said.

“And so, for the meanwhile, I used a hammer yesterday, but the hammer will be with India till November the 10th. And I hope that when we have the meeting in Brazil, the summit meeting in Brazil, I hope all that are members of the G20 now, the G21, because of the African Union and we’ll other countries to participate too. I think it’s going to be a great event, but we only know if they’ll participate or not. when it comes the time that the event is getting close,” he added.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi handed over the ceremonial gavel of the G20 presidency to Brazil President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva at the G20 summit in Delhi.

“I congratulate Brazilian President and my friend Lula da Silva and hand over the gavel of Presidency,” PM Modi said minutes before the New Delhi G20 Summit concluded.