Mexico Says It Won't Sign Immunity Pact for U.S. Troops

Mexican officials said on Wednesday they have already made it clear to Washington that they will not sign a pact to grant U.S. military personnel special immunity from the International Criminal Court.

U.S. President George W. Bush opposes the International Criminal Court, which started operating in 2003. His administration argues it could be used for frivolous or politically motivated prosecutions of American troops.

Last year, Bush signed into law a measure to cut off hundreds of millions of dollars in foreign aid to countries that belong to the court but have not signed a bilateral immunity agreement with the United States. While Mexico has signed onto the court, Assistant Foreign Secretary Geronimo Gutierrez said his country does not fear any repercussions over the policy. Mexico gets almost no foreign aid from the United States.

"We haven't had any reprisals," Gutierrez said.
On Tuesday, Foreign Secretary Luis Ernesto Derbez said "we have made it very clear to the U.S. government ... we will not grant this exemption."

http://ap.tbo.com/ap/breaking/MGB8NTJD4BE.html

has there been anyone else?

Even the conservative Bolivian Congress did not want to give the red carpet treatment to Bush's imperial army.

won't sign.

What decent person would want their country to be turned into a graveyard by bloodthirsty US troops?

They know first hand about the U$ attacking them with Marines and U$ Calvary!

...is in nobody's interest but BushCo.

If it's Shrub who's cloned, they'll all seek spots in the TANG, then go AWOL.

Cloning is evil. Jesus told him so.

Why would you ask a country to grant your soldiers immmunity from the I.C.C.??

What is it that you plan to have them do that requires them to be immune from the I.C.C.??

And what of the frivolous or politically motivated prosecutions of Iraqi civilians??

That's the way fair and balanced should be. If you do a wrong than you must be responsible for it and face up to it.

Agreement, note how few are final signators:

http://www.iccnow.org/documents/USandICC/BIAsByRegion_current.pdf

We don't get aid, but we're mighty vulnerable to trade retaliation.

http://www.worldfederalistscanada.org/nov0702.htm

News Release
November 7, 2002

Ottawa -- Canada will not sign a treaty to exempt U.S. soldiers from the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Bill Graham, Minister of Foreign Affairs, said Monday.

The U.S. has launched a worldwide campaign to persuade countries to enter into bilateral (country-to-country) treaties that would shield U.S. nationals from the court. A country signing such a treaty will not turn over to the ICC Americans being sought by the court.

"We don't have any intention of signing such an agreement," Graham said. He made the remark to reporters after a speech at a conference on the ICC organized by Parliamentarians for Global Action and attended by elected parliamentarians from 80 countries.

The ICC came into force in July and now is being set up in The Hague, Netherlands. It aims to bring the worst criminals to justice, those committing genocide, war crimes or crimes against humanity. The court is being hailed as the biggest advance in international justice in half a century.

Canada and the United States already have a NATO Status of Forces Agreement dealing with the conduct of U.S. military personnel on Canadian soil. Graham said, "There is no need to have another specific bilateral agreement."

Organizations supporting the ICC applauded.

Canada does have domestic law, in the (national) Criminal Code, that allows people accused of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes elsewhere in the world to be prosecuted in Canada, if they are present here. A referral to the ICC would generally only be used by countries that do not have such domestic legislation.


And we won't send you (US state governments) any candidates for capital punishment when you ask, either!

they feel they don't have to answer to anyone in their *own country*, why would they think their armies have to answer to international courts?

NeoCons do what they want, and civilization be damned.

ACCOUNTABILITY, boys and girls? I KNEW you could. It's a little problem in America these days...

That sort of "frivilous".