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Egypt bows to US pressure
03/07/2003 21:36 - (SA)
Cairo - Egypt has signed an agreement not to send American citizens accused of crimes against humanity to the International Criminal Court, Egypt's foreign minister said on Thursday, after the United States exerted pressure on countries to follow its demand.
The United States has decided to cut off military aid to countries that refuse to protect Americans from the authority of the international war crimes court. The US State Department stopped US$48 million in aid to 35 countries in Africa, Europe, Asia and Central and South America late on Tuesday.
"We made a commitment that Americans accused of such crimes will only be tried in an American court," Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher told reporters on Thursday.
He said Egypt instead has a bilateral extradition agreement with the United States.
Congress had set a July 1 deadline for most recipients of US military aid to exempt USsoldiers and other personnel from prosecution before the new court. The Bush administration fears the court could leave American military personnel subject to false, politically motivated prosecutions.
The International Criminal Court has the support of 78 countries, but more than 40 have agreed not to extradite US nationals.
The Clinton administration signed a 1998 treaty that created the court, but the Bush administration nullified the signature and has sought a permanent exemption from prosecutions. Those efforts have been blocked by the European Union, though the UN Security Council last year gave the United States a second one-year exemption.
Egypt is one of Washington's closest Middle Eastern allies and a key mediator in the peace process. It is the second-largest recipient of US aid after Israel, receiving some US$2 billion a year in military and economic assistance.
- Sapa-AP
- SAPA
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