Congress Seeks to Curb International Court

[oldhat]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1803&ncid=1803&e=1&u=/washpost/20041126/pl_washpost/a13257_2004nov25

Congress Seeks to Curb International Court
By Colum Lynch, Washington Post Staff Writer

UNITED NATIONS -- The Republican-controlled Congress has stepped up its campaign to curtail the power of the International Criminal Court, threatening to cut hundreds of millions of dollars in economic aid to governments that refuse to sign immunity accords shielding U.S. personnel from being surrendered to the tribunal.

The move marks an escalation in U.S. efforts to ensure that the first world criminal court can never judge American citizens for crimes committed overseas. More than two years ago, Congress passed the American Servicemembers' Protection Act, which cut millions of dollars in military assistance to many countries that would not sign the Article 98 agreements, as they are known, that vow not to transfer to the court U.S. nationals accused of committing war crimes abroad.

A provision inserted into a $338 billion government spending bill for 2005 would bar the transfer of assistance money from the $2.52 billon economic support fund to a government "that is a party" to the criminal court but "has not entered into an agreement with the United States" to bar legal proceedings against U.S. personnel. The House and Senate are to vote on the budget Dec. 8.

Congress's action may affect U.S. Agency for International Development programs designed to promote peace, combat drug trafficking, and promote democracy and economic reforms in poor countries. For instance, the cuts could jeopardize as much as $250 million to support economic growth and reforms in Jordan, $500,000 to promote democracy and fight drug traffickers in Venezuela, and about $9 million to support free trade and other initiatives with Mexico.

[cavanaghjam]

1. Isn't bribery also

against international law? SOP for the bushies, their usual appeal to venality, but I wonder if the administration could not be prosecuted for such a blatant act.

[punpirate]

2. I hope many countries understand that this...

... sort of blackmail isn't worth the money. For example, the $500,000 reportedly going to Venezuela for "democracy" is very likely money Congress provides to the National Endowment for Democracy, and which was very likely used, in part, to fund the coup arranged by the opposition.

And, quite hilariously, there's no mention at all in this article of either Guantanamo or Abu Ghraib, nor of the potential for prosecutions related to them. What's the likelihood of a country signing an Article 98 waiver after it's been shown that torture is commonplace in American-run prisons, and that the tolerance for such extends to the White House?

[AndyTiedye]

3. Bush and His Friends Are Scared to Death of The Intl'l Criminal Court

The International Criminal Court is the only one that won't accept his pResidential Get-Out-of-Jail-Free Card. Pardon? Forgeddit.

Remember when Booosh started blathering about the ICC during the debate
when it hadn't even been up for discussion?
I think he has nightmares about this place:

[Dover]

4. They should be scared. Did you read the statement from Canadian attorneys

today? They outlined all the ways in which this administration has broken international laws and committed war crimes. And that's from our closest neighbor!

Besides, corporations (a la Bushco) don't want an international government ruling over them any more than they want local governments regulating them. THEY want to be the governing global body or sovereign global entities. So no U.N. or World Court or any other global law making bodies will be acceptable to them.

[talk hard]

5. Nothing new here

One of Bush's first acts as our fake president was to send a three-line letter to the International Court and opt out.

But that wasn't enough. BushCo then actively worked to trash it and shut it down.

They are so paranoid - and for good reason - of being prosecuted.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

6. And now they shall reap the whirlwind.... one can only hope that justice

is done and they end up having to bow before some real authorities and not fake ones such as theirselves.

www.brusselstribunal.org