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Wednesday, July 2, 2003

The administration warned last year under a provision of a new U.S. anti-terrorism law that any country that became a member of the new court but failed to give exemptions to Americans serving within its borders would lose the aid, the New York Times reported today.

That includes training programs as well as financing of weapons and equipment.

The administration opposes the court on grounds Americans could be subjected to politically motivated prosecutions.

"This is a reflection of the United States' priorities to protect the men and women in our military," White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer said. "If delivering aid to those states endangers America's servicemen and servicewomen, the president's first priority is with the servicemen and servicewomen."

The Washington Times reported today: "Under a 2002 law known as the American Servicemembers' Protection Act, all 90 countries that have ratified the ICC Rome treaty are subject to suspension of U.S. military aid.

"America's 18 fellow NATO members, Taiwan, and nine nations that Washington calls 'major non-NATO allies' — Israel, Egypt, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea, Japan, Jordan, Argentina and Bahrain — are exempted by the law."

The president may grant waivers to countries that have signed bilateral agreements with the United States. President Bush has issued exemptions for 22 countries, including Afghanistan, Bolivia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Honduras, Macedonia, Nigeria, Panama, Romania and Sierra Leone.

Many of the countries penalized, such as Colombia and Ecuador, are considered important to the administration's efforts to bring stability to the Western Hemisphere. Others, such as Croatia, are preparing to join NATO and were counting on U.S. help to modernize their armed forces.

The 35 affected countries include NATO invitees Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Slovenia, which have aped the pro-ICC position of the European Union, which they wish to join.

Other penalized nations include Brazil, Costa Rica, Paraguay, Peru, Serbia and Montenegro, South Africa, Tanzania, Uruguay and Venezuela.

Officials said $47.6 million in aid and $613,000 in military education programs would be lost to the 35 countries.

The Bush administration expressed confidence that many of them would approve the U.S. exemption by Oct. 1, the start of the next fiscal year.

Copyright 2003 by United Press International.

All rights reserved.

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