Viering 100 jaar Vredespaleis
Vandaag viert Den Haag de 100ste verjaardag van het Vredespaleis. Op 28 augustus 1913 opende het Vredespaleis zijn poorten voor organisaties die zich inzetten voor een betere, rechtvaardige wereld.
De dag begon met een openingsceremonie waar koning Willem-Alexander, secretaris van de VN Ban Ki-moon en minister Timmermans bij aanwezig waren.
Minister Timmermans zat de ministeriële conferentie voor over het belang van het vreedzaam oplossen van conflicten.
Een impressie van de herdenking, waarbij ook de actuele situatie in Syrië aan de orde kwam, ziet u in de video (engelstalig).
CHEERFUL TRUMPET FANFARE
VOICE-OVER: August 28 marks the centennial anniversary
of the Peace Palace in The Hague.
Since its inauguration, the Peace Palace has become a worldwide icon
of peace and justice.
Special guests, such as His Majesty King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands
and the secretary-general of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon,
attended the official ceremony to celebrate the Netherlands' unwavering commitment
to a better world, in which conflicts are settled peacefully.
BAN KI-MOON: Today The Hague is known
as the legal capital of the world,
an epicentre of international justice and accountability.
Here in The Hague, you help sustain and expand the rule of law,
you bring the rule of law to life.
VOICE-OVER: The Netherlands wants to emphasise their commitment
to a better world in which conflicts are settled peacefully.
JOZIAS VAN AARTSEN: A hundred years of the Peace Palace
means a hundred years of progress on the issue of international law.
As for the city of The Hague, we are all proud of this palace
and the content of this palace, of course.
PRIME MINISTER RUTTE: The Peace Palace is a symbol
and is also a very active and participating instrument in world affairs.
As for the Netherlands, we are very proud to host the Peace Palace.
The international outlook of the Netherlands is very much underlined by the Peace Palace.
At the same time it is more than bricks,
it is more than a beautiful building or a library,
it is also a very active participant on the world stage.
VOICE-OVER: According to Ban Ki-moon,
the conflict in Syria poses the biggest challenge today.
Here in the Peace Palace, let us say: Give peace a chance.
Give diplomacy a chance.
Stop fighting and start talking.
MINISTER TIMMERMANS: We believe strongly in an international legal order.
We believe strongly in the need to strengthen that international legal order.
But it would be almost a fundamental undermining of that legal order
if one of the gravest violations of international law
were to remain without response.
(Holland's coat of arms against a pale blue background. On-screen text: This was a production of the Dutch Government.)