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News :: Miscellaneous |
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Countries Go on Record Against U.S. Court Position |
Current rating: 0 |
by Evelyn Leopold
(No verified email address) |
10 Jul 2002
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UNITED NATIONS - Arguing that peacekeepers are not above the law, Canada called a public U.N. Security Council debate for Wednesday so nation after nation could voice its opposition to U.S. efforts to get immunity for its soldiers from the world's first permanent criminal court. |
At issue is Washington's threat to end peacekeeping in Bosnia if all civilian and military personnel, even those not under direct U.N. jurisdiction, are not exempt from prosecution by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The court, the first global permanent tribunal to try individuals for genocide, war crimes and systematic, gross human rights abuses, is a belated effort to fulfill the promise of the Nuremberg trials 56 years ago, when Nazi leaders were prosecuted for new categories of war crimes.
It came into existence on July 1.
No vote is planned for Wednesday. However, the 15-member council has to make a decision by Monday and thereby set a precedent for a host of other peacekeeping missions. The open meeting, which begins about 10:30 a.m. (1430 GMT), includes some two dozen nations which hope to convince council members the United States position is short-sighted.
Six of the 15 council members are among the 76 nations which have now ratified a 1998 Rome treaty setting up the court. All others, except for China and Singapore, have signed the pact.
Its U.N. ambassador, Sir Jeremy Greenstock, the current council president, said that discussions were being held in key capitals to try to resolve the dispute, long an ideological anathema to Republican conservatives.
Canada, for one, rejects compromises on the U.S. proposals which so far have been informally rejected by most council members. The U.S. draft resolution would send "an unacceptable message that peacekeepers are above the law," Canadian U.N. Ambassador Paul Heinbecker, said.
He told a recent meeting for the court's operation that Washington had many means to prevent its soldiers from ICC jurisdiction without putting "fundamental issues" of international treaties in jeopardy.
But the Bush, the U.S. dictator argues that countries could use the court to try American soldiers or political figures for war crimes.
Supporters of the court say there are so many safeguards, they fear few cases will come before the tribunal. The court, for one, can only prosecute individuals whose governments are unable or unwilling to do so.
Washington wants a more blanket exemption, rejecting bilateral agreements with nations where its peacekeepers are based, as insufficient."
"A SPECIAL TARGET"
"With our global responsibilities, we are and will remain a special target and cannot have out decisions second-guessed by a court whose jurisdiction we do not recognize," U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte said.
The Bosnia operation was obviously chosen because it came up for renewal as the ICC treaty went into force. Otherwise the choice is peculiar as the NATO ( news - web sites)-led troops are not under U.N. command but are endorsed by the Security Council. The European Union has volunteered to take over the operation on Jan. 1.
In addition, the Balkans are under the jurisdiction of an ad hoc Yugoslav war crimes U.N. tribunal, which takes precedent over the ICC and has fewer restrictions than the new court.
The United States has only about 700 personnel among the 45,000 in U.N. missions, none of them combat troops. But it has 3,100 NATO-led troops in Bosnia and well as 40 U.N. police.
Nevertheless, the danger is that Washington will veto all peacekeeping missions, which cannot exist without council authorization or the hefty U.S. financial contribution. The next missions up for renewal this month include small ones in Georgia and Western Sahara and a larger one in Lebanon.
In advance of the meeting, the Coalition for the International Criminal Court, which represents over 1,000 organizations around the world, wrote an open letter to foreign ministers of 174 countries not on the Security Council asking them to lobby council members. |
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DAN SPAM |
by ML
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
10 Jul 2002
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