Para. Action (f) The defence and security committee of the National Assembly; Time frame Needs of the Sudan (g) The judiciary; (h) The Office of the Ombudsman and Public Accountability. The National Security Act is being reviewed in the light of the Peace Agreement and the Constitution. The Government of the Sudan affirms that the ratification or non-ratification of any treaty is a sovereign matter on which the State alone must decide. However, in order to provide the Committee with information, we should mention that the legal studies on the Convention have been completed and submitted to the competent authorities with a view to their adoption. The legislative procedures for ratification will then be completed. 1.5 Protection of witnesses and victims 1.5.1 The 1991 Criminal Procedures Code clearly protects witnesses by guaranteeing that they will not be subject to any form of violence, revenge or harassment, during investigations or trials, because of their testimony. There is nothing to prevent human rights defenders from having free and unhampered access to witnesses and victims of violations. Mid-term The Government of the Sudan requests the assistance of the international community in organizing seminars on the Convention. Short-term - Capacity-building for members of the prosecution service - High-quality communications systems - Identification of the chain of command for the submission of reports A/HRC/5/6 page 59 1.4.5