EU to Exempt U.S. From War Court

national | miscellaneous | news report Tuesday October 01, 2002 09:53 by quaski

is ireland neutral about this too?

October 1, 2002
Europeans to Exempt U.S. From War Court
By PAUL MELLER

RUSSELS, Sept 30 ?The 15 nations of the European Union agreed today to exempt American soldiers and government officials from prosecution for war crimes at the International Criminal Court, an issue that had troubled trans-Atlantic relations for several months.

The compromise, reached at a meeting of European Union foreign ministers, came close to the blanket immunity for American government employees sought by the Bush administration, although European officials emphasized that in their view it did not undermine the court, which the administration has opposed.

"There is no concession," said Per Stig Moller, foreign minister of Denmark, which currently holds the presidency of the European Union. "There is no undermining of the International Criminal Court."

At a briefing in Washington, the State Department spokesman, Richard A. Boucher, said: "We'll study the details of the European Union's decision very closely, and we'll look forward to discussing it in more detail with member states."

more of this at
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/10/01/international/europe/01EURO.html