US threatens Balkan pull-out over world court / comes into force on Monday.

FT.com ^ | June 27 2002 | By Judy Dempsey in Brussels

[WakeUpChristian]

US threatens Balkan pull-out over world court

By Judy Dempsey in Brussels

The US has threatened to pull out of the Balkans if the United Nations fails to grant its peacekeeping troops blanket immunity from prosecution when the treaty for the new international criminal court comes into force on Monday.

The threat adds another strain to US-European relations, already made more difficult this week after President George W. Bush dem- anded Yassir Arafat be rep- laced as Palestinian leader.

The US, unlike all 15 European Union member states and 44 other countries, is not a signatory of the ICC, a tribunal that will investigate and try individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

!!! (HATE Crimes)!!!!

US officials fear the ICC could be exploited by "hostile forces" who would pick out American soldiers serving in any peacekeeping missions, whether UN, Nato or other operations. To obtain that blanket immunity, the US has targeted Bosnia as the testing ground.

Diplomats said it was no coincidence that next Monday the mandate for the six-monthly Nato-led Sfor mission in Bosnia expires.

The mandate is normally nodded through Nato's North Atlantic Council, which then informs the UN.

This time round, the US has insisted the UN Security Council include two resolutions in a new mandate for Bosnia exempting any US peacekeeping troops from international prosecution.

The first would exempt only US forces stationed in Bosnia, where it has 2,300 troops. The second would exempt peacekeepers in all UN-mandated operations, measures the US failed to obtain for its peacekeepers in East Timor.

The resolutions have upset Nato countries, particularly Britain and France, who are Security Council members and staunch defenders of the ICC. "We support the ICC 100 per cent," said a British diplomat.

Also, said Nato diplomats, an extension of Sfor was not dependent on a UN mandate. "It is up to Nato, to the North Atlantic Council, to extend that mandate," said a senior Nato diplomat. "The UN is only there to give Sfor a legal sanction, nothing else."

One Nato diplomat said the US was playing a double game, ready on the one hand to use Bosnia as leverage at the Security Council to weaken the jurisdiction of the ICC, and on the other to undermine peacekeeping operations little liked by the Bush administration.

"The Security Council must reject the US proposals," said Human Rights Watch. "At issue are not only the peacekeeping operations themselves but also whether a single country can put itself above the rule of law. It must not be allowed to do so."

If the US fails to get its way in the Security Council and carries out its threat to quit the Balkans,

the region could be plunged into a new period of instability since the Europeans have none of the capabilities to replace Sfor.

[MJY1288]

Bring our Troops home Mr. President and then announce our departure from the U.N.

[Batrachian]

"US officials fear the ICC could be exploited by "hostile forces" who would pick out American soldiers serving in any peacekeeping missions, whether UN, Nato or other operations".

This justification for opposing the ICC is wrong. The true justification is that no U.S. citizen is subject to prosecution by some U.N. kangaroo court. Unfortunately, the chickens have come home to roost. We have long used the U.N. to get our noses into every corner of the world where we did not belong, and now that they're doing it to us, we complain.

[The KG9 Kid]

"... Bring our Troops home Mr. President and then announce our departure from the U.N."

Amen.

... and I never say 'Amen'.

[WakeUpChristian]

Bring our Troops home Mr. President and then announce our departure from the U.N.

YES YES Please

[LasVegasMac]

1) a Screw.

2) the UN.

3) an insertion.

Picture please.

LVM

[Andy from Beaverton]

If we're going to keep NATO in Bosnia let's use them. There are so many links to terrorist and bin Laden in Bosnia, it's not funny.

[kimosabe31]

"If the US fails to get its way in the Security Council and carries out its threat to quit the Balkans, the region could be plunged into a new period of instability since the Europeans have none of the capabilities to replace Sfor."

In other words "Uncle Sucker" is expected to place its troops at risk playing GLOBOCOP while the "world community" that does not contribute shit to world security...witness the lack of support for the US war on terror...wishes to reserve unto itself the power to prosecute these troops for carrying out orders.

[WakeUpChristian]

The U.n can't want to do a U.S. citizen for HATE Crimes

[MJY1288]

Watch out, That "Amen" could offend someone :-)

[WakeUpChristian]

we warned that UN global tax proponents are pursuing back-door strategies, trying to commit the U.S. in principle to international taxes. European Commission official Frits Bolkestein visited Washington in early June, attempting to induce the U.S. to join the EU’s "Savings Tax Directive," described by financial analyst Veronique de Rugy as the EU’s "proposed savings-tax cartel."

The directive "is designed to stop money from escaping Europe’s high-tax economies and fleeing to low-tax economies," writes Rugy, who studies fiscal policy on behalf of the Washington-based Cato Institute. "And since the United States is a low-tax country (compared to places like France), the plan would require U.S. financial institutions to collect private financial data on non-resident investors so it can be turned over to foreign tax collectors. This is an assault on American sovereignty and it should be rejected."

Though our ever-expanding central government devours nearly 30 percent of our Gross Domestic Product, America remains "the best tax haven in the world," Rugy points out. "Low taxes and a strong commitment to financial privacy combine to attract more than $9 trillion in foreign capital to the U.S. economy. This inflow of money is a key determinant of American prosperity because this money is put to work for the nation and produces more jobs, higher standards of living, and general prosperity."

Extortionate tax rates in the socialist European Union have driven many productive Europeans to invest in the U.S., and "high-tax nations resent this competition, which is why they are lobbying the U.S. government to support the ‘Savings Tax Directive.’" But just as important is the effort to lure the United States into multilateral "tax cooperation" schemes of any sort — all of which would offer precedents toward imposing direct taxes by the UN.

[First_Salute]

Why has it been important to keep people from killing each other in the Balkans, but not in the southern and other regions of Africa?

[spokeshave]

One Nato diplomat said the US was playing a double game, ready on the one hand to use Bosnia as leverage at the Security Council to weaken the jurisdiction of the ICC, and on the other to undermine peacekeeping operations little liked by the Bush administration.

The Euroweenies are wimping again

It's real simple...one more time ... Dubbya is playing chess not checkers

[Salman]

It's real simple...one more time ... Dubbya is playing chess not checkers

Poker. He's from Texas.

[duckln]

US officials fear the ICC could be exploited by "hostile forces" who would pick out American soldiers serving...

Just like the upsidedown Hague 'kangaroo tribunal' trial of Milosevic and Serbia going on now. It's a perfect example of 'justice' gone amuck.

[Dog Gone]

I like it. Either way we win.

[Bogey78O]

A UN Peacekeeping Force without US Soldiers is like a football franchise with no football players.

Maybe Michael New will get his wish, no?

[sam_paine]

a single country can put itself above the rule of law. It must not be allowed to do so."

Heckyeah!!! Rule of *what* laws?? Supreme NWO International Court law?!?! BAH!!

If this was a statement from one of the founding fathers and meant the right and just moral laws of nature that are (were) self-evident, then I'd agree....but these guys are obviously talking about some kangaroo court run by warstarting Europeans.

[Bogey78O]

The thing is the US should not give it's military blanket immunity. However they should have no extra-national legal body over them to begin with. So it's just a rational response to an illegal request by the UN.

[McGavin999]

"The Security Council must reject the US proposals," said Human Rights Watch.

Human Rights Watch has been sitting with bated breath waiting for the ICC to come into effect so they could file the first suit against the US. This must be soooooooo disappointing for them.

I hope the troops in the Balkins are going to spend the weekend packing. If the agreement is not signed Monday morning, the troops should be on the way home Monday afternoon.