Five countries make secret deal with US REUTERS [ TUESDAY, JUNE 17, 2003 09:04:44 AM ]
[[See bottom of page for additional signatories to this "get out of jail free" card...]]
WASHINGTON: Five governments -- Egypt, Mongolia, Nicaragua, the Seychelles and Tunisia -- have signed secret agreements exempting US personnel from prosecution in the International Criminal Court, according to a State Department document on Monday. The State Department said last week that several governments that signed the agreements had asked not to be named. Their identities will become public at some stage because the administration has to inform the US Congress. Congressional sources said the administration had already informed Congress of the agreement with Egypt, which they said was signed on March 5. Congress has not received notice of any other agreements, the sources said. The Egyptian Embassy declined to comment on the report. Officials at the other embassies had no immediate comment or were not immediately available. A State Department official said Togolese Foreign Minister Roland Kpotsra signed a public agreement with US ambassador Gregory Engle in Lome last Friday. That would bring to 44 the number of governments that have exempted US personnel from prosecution in the court, set up to try war crimes and acts of genocide. The Bush administration objects to the court on the grounds it could launch politically motivated prosecutions of US civilian and military leaders. But other countries see it as a powerful tool for enforcing the rules of war. The United States is seeking similar agreements, known as Article 98 agreements after the relevant article in the law setting up the court, with as many countries as possible. Under the American Service Members Protection Act of 2002, many countries that recognize the International Criminal Court will not be eligible for US military assistance, unless the president issues a waiver on grounds of national security.
The other countries which have signed agreements are: Albania, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, the Dominican Republic, East Timor, El Salvador, Madagascar, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Honduras, India, Israel, the Maldives, the Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Micronesia, Nauru, Nepal, Palau, the Philippines, Romania, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda and Uzbekistan. |
