Blunderov
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RE: virus: US seeks war crimes exemption extension
« on: 2004-05-20 18:06:07 » |
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[Blunderov]
'It strongly advised that the Butcher should be
Conveyed in a separate ship:
But the Bellman declared that would never agree
With the plans he had made for the trip:'
(The Hunting of the Snark )
<q>
http://www.abc.net.au/cgi-bin/common/printfriendly.pl?http://www.abc.net.au/
news/newsitems/s1112594.htm
US seeks war crimes exemption extension
The United States has circulated a draft Security Council resolution to give
US peacekeeping troops another one year exemption from prosecution by the
world court at The Hague.
The measure is likely to face misgivings after revelations that US troops
abused prisoners in Iraq.
At first, Washington signed the treaty establishing the court but later
backed out, saying it feared the tribunal would be politicised and its
troops abroad could be charged for war crimes.
The US has since persuaded more than 60 countries to agree to bilateral
immunity deals, lobbying hard and threatening to cut military assistance to
those that do not sign an accord.
Under the draft resolution, nations which have not ratified the court's
founding statute would be exempt from investigation or prosecution for 12
months.
It also specifies the one year period is renewable "for as long as may be
necessary".
Diplomats said the US would try to push for a vote on Friday.
With the outrage over the treatment of Iraqi prisoners, it was not
immediately clear if the US would be able to muster strong support on the 15
nation council.
When the existing one year immunity resolution was passed last year, three
nations abstained and United Nations secretary general Kofi Annan warned the
council could undermine its own authority if exemption became "an annual
routine".
The US got the council to vote unanimously for immunity in 2002 by vetoing
the extension of a UN police training mission in Bosnia.
It threatened to block all peacekeeping operations, one by one, as their
mandates came up for renewal at the council.
Established under the 1998 Rome Statute, the tribunal is the first permanent
international court to try cases of war crimes, crimes against humanity and
genocide.
</q>
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