Nations exempt Americans from global court
Published 9:00 pm Tuesday, December 30, 2003
CRAWFORD, Texas — President Bush announced agreements with another four countries to exempt Americans from prosecution by the International Criminal Court, which it staunchly opposes.
The 1998 Rome Statute establishing the International Criminal Court has been ratified by 90 countries, but the court faces opposition from the United States. Bush administration officials fear that Americans, particularly soldiers abroad, could fall victim to politically motivated prosecutions.
The Bush administration has signed bilateral treaties with more than three dozen countries that have agreed not to hand over American citizens to the court.
The latest, according to a statement released by the White House on Tuesday, are Belize, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Panama, and Fiji.
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