‘US won’t weaken ICC’

Date: 04/07/02

EXTERNAL Relations Commissioner Chris Patten has pledged not to let the US weaken the newly formed International Criminal Court (ICC).

During a visit to Belgrade yesterday (3 July), Patten described the court's foundation - the first permanent body for assessing charges of war crimes and genocide - as 'the most important advance for international law since the establishment of the United Nations'.

He drew a parallel with Washington's refusal to cooperate with the ICC over fears that it could launch politically-motivated prosecutions of American soldiers and its withdrawal from the Kyoto accord on climate change. 'We disagreed with the United States over Kyoto but we didn't sit down and wait,' he said. 'We ratified [the protocol] and encouraged others to do so as well.We will allow nobody to water down the commitments contained in the ICC treaty.'

Amnesty International has called on the EU to resist a proposal from the Bush administration that peace-keepers should enjoy immunity from prosecution by the ICC. This suggestion is currently being discussed by the UN Security Council.

The human rights group urged the Union 'to undertake all possible steps to ensure that the Security Council reject any proposal that would undermine the integrity of international justice'.

External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten has pledged not to let the US weaken the newly formed International Criminal Court (ICC).