U.S. drops bid to gain immunity for troops

[merh]

June 24, 2004, 12:19AM

U.S. drops bid to gain immunity for troops
By WARREN HOGE
New York Times
UNITED NATIONS -- Warning that it may rethink its participation in future peacekeeping missions, the United States on Wednesday abandoned its attempt to seek an extension of a U.N. resolution shielding American soldiers from prosecution for war crimes.

(snip)

"This year China is under pressure because of the news coverage of the prison abuse," said Wang Guangya, China's ambassador at the United Nations. "My government is under particular pressure not to give a blank check to the United States for the behavior of its forces."

U.S. Deputy Ambassador James Cunningham said the United States decided to withdraw the resolution after key council opponents rebuffed a U.S. compromise that would have limited the exemption to one final year. The United States had secured firm support from only five of the council's 15 members; nine votes are needed for adoption.

(snip)
... A strongly worded objection to the U.S. exemption by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan last week proved to be a turning point for several countries, including Russia, which had earlier indicated its support.

(snip)

In Washington, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said Wednesday the United States will have to examine each peacekeeping mission "case by case," and hinted the United States could veto operations in countries that are parties to the international court.

"We also will have to look at it in terms of ... what the risk might be of prosecution by a court to which we're not party," Boucher said.

(snip)

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/headline/world/2644265

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[caffefwee]

1. Another flip flop for Bush!

It just shows how lost he is. He has no policy.

[merh]

2. No it's worse than that, it shows how America is not

trusted by the other nations. America is not trusted and is feared by the other nations of the world. :cry:

[Solly Mack]

3. poor little tyrant of America..the world has seen your type come and go

rethink your role in peacekeeping all you want...make yourself irrelevant. No harm. No foul. The earth will keep spinning.

[BurtWorm]

4. To get indicted for war crimes in Iraq, Iraq would have to indict

and the US just made it a condition of the "handover" that Iraq NOT be able to indict US soldiers for war crimes. They have to give this up at the UN, but it's a purely symbolic loss. The upshot is, they're still protected from prosecution because of the way they've manipulated the phony "handover" to Iraq.

[merh]

7. How did they make it a condition of the "hand over" ? - That is

ridiculous, even for this admin. Her is your country back, but if you go to the UN and charge any of us with doing anything wrong, we will take it back. That is so mafia!

Now king weed boy did enter an executive order extending immunity to our troops, but that has no power in the international circles. That is just like SH giving himself immunity.

[BurtWorm]

10. They made Iraq an offer it couldn't refuse.

;)

[merh]

13. Yeah, Iraq doen't want to wake up with a camel's but in its bed.

They are having enough trouble dealing with the U.S. butts that are calling the shots.

[gratuitous]

5. He dropped his bid for UN approval

But he renewed his executive order (number 17, I believe) that grants immunity to all U.S. soldiers, workers, and contractors in Iraq from any claims for damage to property or loss of life. The renewal and extension will apparently protect our soldiery and our mercenaries from having to face their Iraqi accusers for any lapses, oopses, boo-boos or out-and-out atrocities, and countermands any laws the Iraqis might contemplate for themselves to use against their occupiers.

Full sovereignty, baby!

[Spazito]

6. Yep, on the one hand you have Wolfowitz, Powell, etc, begging NATO...

and the UN to get involved and then, at the same time, they give them the middle finger. The world spoke when the Security Council refused to go along with any extension of immunity.

[merh]

8. He dropped his bid because the UN gave him the finger.

He couldn't get the 9 of 15 votes he needed to support his "immunity" resolution. Even Russia pulled out on him. China said heck no, we don't trust you. He didn't pull out, he was interrupted in his attempt to screw Iraq using the UN, so he withdrew and crowned himself kind and all is well......

[Baltimoreboy]

9. That's cool

But the U.S. should pull out of all "peace-keeping missions" as a result.

[Spazito]

11. If they do that then any support, financially or otherwise the US...

desperately needs from the UN and NATO will also be pulled. The bush admin has badly damaged the US influence around the world and has instead put itself in the position of being seen as weakened.

[Baltimoreboy]

12. It has been weakened

But there is no need to send U.S. troops around the world to solve all the world's problems.

[Spazito]

14. LOL The US doesn't "solve all the world's problems", far from it...

it is pure self-interest on the US's part that it is in other countries.