That's good spin, but the UN caved and the ICC is dead. The adopted language includes the right to renew each 12 months the exemptions of all non-parties forever.
Posted on 07/12/2002 3:40:36 PM PDT by zadok
U.N. Reaches Deal on War Crimes Court
Fri Jul 12, 5:58 PM ET By EDITH M. LEDERER, Associated Press Writer
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Security Council members agreed on a resolution Friday exempting U.S. peacekeepers from war crimes prosecution for a year, ending a threat to U.N. peacekeeping operations, diplomats said.
The 15-member council was expected to unanimously approve the resolution later after Mexico, a staunch supporter of the International Criminal Court, decided to support it, diplomats said.
The resolution will lift a U.S. threat to end the world body's peacekeeping operations if it didn't get sufficient protection for Americans serving in U.N. missions. The 1,500-strong U.N. police training mission in Bosnia had faced a July 15 cutoff.
The United States welcomed the agreement and almost all of the court's supporters on the council said it did not violate the treaty established the tribunal. But some countries and organizations continued to argue that the resolution still undermined the court.
"This one-year directive is a temporary immunity from the International Criminal Court for not only the U.S. but for any country that is not a party to the treaty," said Richard Grenell, spokesman for the U.S. Mission.
Under intense opposition from its closest allies and countries around the world, the United States backed down this week from its demand for permanent immunity for American peacekeepers.
Court supporters argued that the demand even for a one year exemption would have amounted to an amendment of the treaty.
The impasse was resolved when key court supporters — Britain, Mauritius and France — made a new proposal Friday morning that would ask the court for a 12-month delay in investigating or prosecuting peacekeepers from countries that don't support the court "if a case arises."
I don't know which is true.
That's good spin, but the UN caved and the ICC is dead. The adopted language includes the right to renew each 12 months the exemptions of all non-parties forever.
Is this asinine or what? How can you be immune from the ICC if you are not party to the treaty in the first place? The US should have turned tail and run. Any organization that claims to have jurisdiction despite the fact that you are not a signatory to the organization in the first place should not be given any legitimacy.
I'll take reply #51 for the pool(that's the number when a new "mini" thread of replies start)
Because the charges would be brought and Americans who traveled abroad could be hassled. This immunity forces the hand of the globalists. It makes it clear that they caved - and that no "Pinochet-style" prosecutions will be possible...
I posted the entire article.
We won. We're out of it and all this does is save the UN some face.
Well, another Bush blunder. Welcome to the United Socialist States of America, folks.
What say ye, Bush bots?
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