Immunity demand 'a violation'

2003-08-01 10:32

New York - A United States demand for jurisdictional exemption from the International Criminal Court for a members of a multinational peacekeeping force in Liberia will violate international law, say legal experts.

The United States on Wednesday tabled a resolution in the UN security council that would authorise deployment of a multinational peacekeeping force in Liberia.

But, it included a proviso that those in the force be exempt from the ICC's jurisdiction.

William R Pace, convenor of the coalition for the ICC said inclusion of the provision was "particularly disturbing" and would violate "treaties and international laws".

Several members of the security council expressed similar reserves.

"This article in its current wording is difficult to accept," said a diplomat of a security council member country.

Must hold the line

Michael Posner, executive director of the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, called the US position "wrong and ill-advised".

"No one should be shielded from prosecution for committing systematic war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide," said Posner.

"Stripping the permanent exemption language from this resolution is critical because the Liberia resolution will set a precedent for how the security council handles this issue in the future.

"It is critical that states who have been supportive of the court... continue to hold the line."

US ambassador to the UN John Negroponte supported the resolution as introduced," telling reporters on Wednesday, "I don't think our position on the question of ICC exemption is any surprise.

"I think we may have to sit down with the other experts and try to find the right form of words.

"But we've worked out satisfactory language before on the question of the ICC with our colleagues on the security council, and I think we should be able to do that again."

- AFP