Posted on 02/02/2005 12:02:12 AM PST by Stoat
Rumsfeld considers war crime prosecution riskConcern that US leaders and military personnel risk prosecution in Germany for alleged war crimes has become a factor in deciding whether US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will attend an international security conference in Munich, a Pentagon spokesman said Tuesday. US defence secretaries have rarely missed the Munich conference, an annual gathering of the world's top defence and national security officials and experts for two days of frank debate on major issues of war and peace. Mr Rumsfeld has announced no plans to attend this year's meeting from February 11-13 even though he will be attending a meeting of NATO defence ministers in Nice, France just before it. Pentagon spokesman Lawrence DiRita said it remains to be determined whether Mr Rumsfeld will attend the Munich meeting. The meeting's organiser, Horst Teltschik, said last month Mr Rumsfeld was not going. Mr Rumsfeld was among 10 high-ranking US civilian and military officials named in a criminal complaint filed November 30 with a German federal prosecutor by a US legal rights group seeking an investigation into the Americans' role in the torture and abuse of detainees in Iraq. Under Germany's Code of Crimes Against International Law, which was introduced in 2002, German courts have universal jurisdiction in war crimes and crimes against humanity. Acknowledging US concern about the German law, Mr DiRita told AFP, "It's a factor in the decision" on whether Rumsfeld attends the Munich conference. "It's not just a question of the secretary's travel. We have many thousands of US forces stationed there, some of which are named in this brief. So it's a big, big problem," he said. He said the issue was being "worked on a government-wide basis". "My impression is the German Government understands the gravity of this matter, but there are some unique aspects that will take time to address," he said. A Berlin newspaper reported last week that the German federal prosecutor opted not to take legal action against Mr Rumsfeld because no German citizen was a victim of abuse at the Abu Ghraib prison. The New York-based Centre For Constitution Rights, which filed the initial complaint, said on Friday it has filed new documents in the case, contending that attorney-general nominee Alberto Gonzalez had implicated himself in war crimes in Iraq, including torture at Abu Ghraib, in his Senate confirmation testimony. |
Actually, I think that it would be delightful for Secretary Rumsfeld to go to Germany and bait these idiots. Let them try to arrest him and just see what would happen. It would be great theater!
A greater concern, however, is the plight of our military service men and women under these laws. I suppose that there will need to be some major international incident in order to get them repealed.
Have we moved our troops out of the EU-SSR yet??
I wish Rummy would go to Germany... and get arrested!
I'm dying for a re-match!
This is like Michael Jackson giving himself universal worldwide jurisdiction in prosecuting child molestation cases.
LOL.... It wouldn't take us as long this time.
Keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer yet.
Smart move, Germany.
Arrest the guy who's got hundreds of thousands of troops stationed in your country.
I'd rather just smite thine enemy than be close to them. but to each their own. =o)
We won't have to invade, we're already there. lol
I guess that would be a ridiculous scenario. Tens of thousands of US troops go on a mission to spring Rummy from a German prison.
Unfortunately, no. We have many thousands of brave men and women who are potentially at risk under this insanity.
If the German and other EU courts are going to follow through with this sort of garbage, then the days of any easy life of safety under the protective umbrella of the United States are numbered for them. They are cutting their own throats and they don't seem to realize it.
"Under Germany's Code of Crimes Against International Law, which was introduced in 2002, German courts have universal jurisdiction in war crimes and crimes against humanity."
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So why are they not excercising this fabulous power against the Saddams, The Bin Ladens and the other terrorists... Oh, I guess those don't count, those are acts AGAINST the west. Fair game.
How many countries are left that are still on our side ? The Oil-for-Food scandal is about to bring down some governments. If the RATS are going to try to do the same thing in this country, I'm guessing it won't be long.
I guess this means that the Germans self-proclaimed experts on war crimes. How appropriate.
countries don't have freinds they have interests
When those US troops leave their bases and occupy Berlin (or is that Bonn?) then they might have to indict all of them. Think of the paperwork!
It's already been mentioned but WWIII has started. It took how many years for the US to join in on WWII ?
"Mr Rumsfeld was among 10 high-ranking US civilian and military officials named in a criminal complaint filed November 30 with a German federal prosecutor by a US legal rights group seeking an investigation into the Americans' role in the torture and abuse of detainees in Iraq."
I thought maybe it was WW-V by now? =o)
This is like Michael Jackson giving himself universal worldwide jurisdiction in prosecuting child molestation cases.
My thoughts exactly. Notice the year of this universal law?
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