War Crimes charges filed against Rumsfeld in Germany?
international |
crime and justice |
other press 
Tuesday December 14, 2004 17:14
by Chesley Hicks
- Rumsfeld and war crimes -
Donald Rumsfeld and several other high-ranking US officials could be tried in Germany for war crimes committed in Iraq.
Comments (2 of 2)
Jump To Comment: 1 2Congress has threatened to cut economic aid to governments that refuse to sign immunity accords shielding U.S. personnel from being surrendered to the International Criminal Court, the Washington Post reports.
A provision inserted into a $338 billion government spending bill for 2005 would bar the transfer of assistance money from the $2.52 billon economic support fund to any government "that is a party" to the criminal court but "has not entered into an agreement with the United States" to bar legal proceedings against U.S. personnel, says the Post.
The congressional cuts would not affect 96 countries that have signed immunity pacts with the U.S.
The legislation includes a national security waiver that would allow President Bush to exempt members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and other allies. However, Washington's key European allies -- including Britain, France and Germany -- have opposed the U.S. effort arguing that it weakens the treaty.
The move is the latest to ensure that the first world criminal court can never try American citizens for crimes committed overseas. The House and Senate are to vote on the budget Dec. 8.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1289345/posts
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Friday :: November 26, 2004
U.S. to Cut Aid Over International Criminal Court
Our Republican-dominated Congress has begun to turn up the heat on foreign countries that don't sign "article 98" immunity agreements with the U.S. The countries that don't capitulate stand to lose substantial amounts of foreign aid from the U.S., including amounts that go to programs we have supported in the past because they are in our best interest:
http://talkleft.com/new_archives/008861.html
German media say Rummy is simply pissed off by the charge filed against him. Even if the court accepts the charge, which is not clear at the moment, Rumsfeld would be protected by his immunity. However, the Sueddeutsche Zeitung says that the U.S. embassy has told the government that if there are the slighest hints for a possible investigation into the charges against Rumsfeld, he will cancel the trip. So now the Munich conference will be attended by Douglas Feith.
http://www.warandpiece.com/blogdirs/001612.html
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Also read:
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/archives/individual/2005_01/005517.php
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