The US Government and a number of leading key partners and states are set to establish an International Institute for Justice and the Rule of Law in Malta, The Sunday Times of Malta learnt.

A co-ordinated effort between the US Embassy and the Maltese Foreign Affairs Ministry and Justice Secretariat led to the agreement to set up the institute in Valletta.

The institute, formally created in 2012 during the Istanbul Ministerial meeting of the Global Counter Terrorism Forum, is expected to be fully operational by June 2014.

It will have a global mission and will focus on states from various parts of the world, including North African countries, which are currently in transition.

This involves offering training to various categories of the population of such countries, including parliamentarians, police officials, judges, prison officials and other officers related to the field of justice.

The institute will aim to help and assist countries in developing policies, procedures and effective practices, which seek to safeguard the security of their citizens from international terrorism.

The institute will help countries which seek to safeguard their citizens from international terrorism

The training will be offered from Valletta and will focus on human rights and freedoms and the UN-sponsored strategy against terrorism.

The institute will also serve as a hub where legal professionals from around the world meet to share experiences in the field of international justice.

Sources close to the Government said the Maltese authorities fully supported to this initiative.

Foreign Affairs Minister George Vella and Justice Parliamentary Secretary Owen Bonnici, assisted by their respective technical teams, were personally overseeing the negotiations and implementation stage.

A Government-owned property in Valletta has already been identified and restoration works, which will be carried out at the expense of the US, are expected to take till the end of the year.

Twenty-nine countries from all around the world are parties to the Global Counter Terrorism Forum.

The key partners to this initiative include the Africa Union, the United Nations, OSCE, the Council of Europe and Interpol.

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