Posted on 10/19/2005 6:47:04 AM PDT by ScaniaBoy
A Spanish judge has issued an international arrest order for three US soldiers whose tank fired at a Baghdad hotel during the war in Iraq, killing a Spanish journalist, a court official said Wednesday.
Jose Couso, who worked for the Spanish television network Telecinco, died April 8, 2003, after the tank crew fired a shell at the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad where many journalists were staying to cover the war.
The Spanish judge said he issued the arrest order because of a lack of judicial cooperation from the United States regarding the case.
US officials insist the soldiers believed they were being shot at when they opened fire.
Dear Spain: Don't make me come back down there and kick your ass again. - Teddy Roosevelt
So now it's first
Iraq, then
Iran, and
North Korea, and
France, and the newly added....
Spain....
This are the reasons that nobody (not even this moron Zapatero) has any interest to validate this crazy judgement. Just one more needless insult. We all would be well advised to fix the stressed relations between America and Europe instead of wasting emotions on insignificant idiots like this judge.
"Europe has its soldiers in active missions in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Balkans and many other places on this world. If European courts would prosecute American soldiers (no matter if this would be justified or not), it is very likely that US courts would prosecute European soldiers in return."
1) Soldiers from European countries would first have to be charged with a crime.
2) USA has no jurisdiction in the balkans.
"Europe has its soldiers in active missions in Iraq, Afghanistan, the Balkans and many other places on this world. If European courts would prosecute American soldiers (no matter if this would be justified or not), it is very likely that US courts would prosecute European soldiers in return."
1) Soldiers from European countries would first have to be charged with a crime.
2) USA has no jurisdiction in the balkans.
damn, double post :/ browser is too eager to please :]
No problem. What about the sexual harassment, the bordellos and the corruption??! I.e. the oil for food scandal is absolutely no issue in Europe but it would be one if the US would arrest a European politician for it. The world is bad. No matter if it is in America, Asia or Europe. You will always find something justiciable
2) USA has no jurisdiction in the balkans.
US courts declare themselves in charge of every BS on this earth. I.e. the nazi implications of Swiss banks. Why should they not cover war crimes of soldiers from Europe??!
P.S. It is good to see that you pointed out the systematic legal difficulties of such action. This is the best proof that America is a good democracy.
"No problem. What about the sexual harassment, the bordellos and the corruption??! I.e. the oil for food scandal is absolutely no issue in Europe but it would be one if the US would arrest a European politician for it."
As you said... oil for food scandal was mentioned; rapes in africa were not mentioned in any of the slovenian media... like ever - of course, we don't have any troops there; we only keep them in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Jordan (of course we won't send our soldiers to Iraq - illegal war, political backlash in the next elections would be brutal, we did send some instructors in the neighbouring countries to train the Iraqi police though).
EU and USA are different when it comes to jurisdiction and what we do. USA likes to play the "we're the strongest country in the world" - military card. EU excercises its jurisdiction within its borders a.k.a. "you come in one of our countries and you're out" - political card.
PS: Threathening Spain wouldn't do any good really. Economically EU is already separating itself from the USA and connecting itself to Asia, threathening EU countries economically would only speed up the process.
PPS: Threathening another country with nukes (as some people indicated here)... think about it, in the end it doesn't really matter if you can destroy the world 1x or 1000x, in the end it's all dead. Even small european countries like Slovenia have both the technology and the means to produce nuclear weapons, but fact is that we don't need them, ergo we don't produce them. Threathening people with nukes just starts another MAD programs.
pub time :]
It wouldn't be a bad idea to start a phone/letter/email campaign to the spanish embassy that if their gov't does not quickly take action to void the judge's order and stuff the entire matter into the deepest hole they can find, we will boycott all Spanish goods, corporations and interests.
USA with this government is the leader of the western world
believing and fighting for hese values of freedom and dignity...
Many people in Europe have lost any faith , belief,and moral
values.Some people,like this spanish judge and some french lawyers,would love to prosecute USA ,and his president,instead of S.Hussein....
You are great! Ulysse
Maybe an US judge might issue an international arrest order for the spanish judge?
ok, a bit of regular european perspective:
1) USA meddles into things it shouldn't (like bush telling EU that it should start the talks with Turkey; that's internal politics)
2) Europe has faith, beliefs and morals, but they are different from those that the USA has; you believe in capitalism for every price, some of us prefer to mix. I can tell you that the average european dislikes murders/crime and corruption just as much as the average american.
3) If USA thinks it is the leader of the "western world", it should still realize that it can't do things alone (let's face it... the coalition of the willing was a joke when we exclude UK - as soon as the government changes, UK will rejoin EU standards). USA shouldn't always count on other countries sending its soldiers to patrol the areas they ruined.
A bit of diplomacy might help.
4) American troops are stretched to its limits, they can't afford to open up another front. Trust me, if usa tries anything in either syria or iran... certain countries will move its soldiers out of iraq/afghanistan/bosnia/kosovo/... If for nothing else, then to beat your ego (and if you look at some of the posts in this thread, you'll see what I'm talking about).
Faith, belief, moral are all relatives; Europe is mostly secularised society, USA is very religious society (albeit diverse)... Europe went through 2 very ugly wars that were fought on its territory, we know what WAR is. For americans war is something they watch on the TV, they've never FELT the reality of war. Europe will do a lot of things to avoid another major conflict, that's why EU is there; not so much for the economy, but to prevent another carnage (something most european nations excell at).
After USA actually fights a real war, on its own grounds, you'll see what war really is, what it's like to be hiding in a bomb shelter because bombers are flying above your city. I'm not really a religious person, but I still pray that the newer generations of Slovenians don't have to go through that fear ever again (like I did when I was 7 in our 10 day war - http://www.uvi.si/10years/path/war/ if anyone cares).
"Maybe an US judge might issue an international arrest order for the spanish judge?"
1) Under what charges? (problems = jurisdiction, and a crime would actually have to be commited - the judge has the right and the authority to issue such an order in Spain, which consequently comes under Pan-European jurisdiction)
2) In which court? (USA doesn't support ICC)
Sorry but i am speaking of reality and i am not playing with general abstractions and empty sentences.
Mr.CHIRAC and many journalists working for our national MSM deny the christian roots of european civilization.CHIRAC wanted to cancel the mention, in the project of european constitution,of the christian roots,among others,of our culture .This is called historical negationism or if you prefer historical manipulation.
The spanish government of Mr.ZAPATERO made a new law allowing gay mariage(wedding)and adoption of child....
These are signs of moral relativism .This trouble which touch many europeans'mind is a kind of mental disorder...
Sorry but you are not more "european" than me or T.BLAIR,AZNAR or POLAND...
Ignorant eurotrash alert! We have fought both a revolution and a civil war on our ground. Apparently, you are under the impression those were unreal wars.
Considering the US rebuilt Europe, Japan and now Iraq perhaps you should just up?
Your socialist democratic gov'ts are totally unprepared and unwilling to defend themselves against jihadists. We're saving your ungrateful arses once again even if you are to stupidly arrogant to recognize it.
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