Bosnia Exempts U.S. from 
International Criminal Court Suits 

REUTERS 6jun03

[Mindfully.org note: Currently the Rome Statute of the ICC has 139 Signatories and 90 Ratifications. See Chart]

SARAJEVO—Bosnia's parliament bowed to U.S. pressure on Friday and ratified a deal exempting Americans on its territory from prosecution by the newly created International Criminal Court (ICC).

Bosnia hopes to join the European Union and the 15-member bloc has urged its would-be members in eastern Europe to resist pressure from Washington for deals on exemption from the ICC, the world's first permanent war crimes court.

But despite a heated parliamentary debate, the accord was ratified by a majority of votes, making Bosnia the first country in the region to ratify such a deal.

It commits Bosnia not to hand over U.S. citizens to the court, which President George W. Bush opposes on the grounds it could expose Americans to politically motivated prosecutions. [mindfully.org note: And so it should]

The United States has conditioned the release of its $73 million worth of assistance for Bosnia, still heavily dependent on foreign aid following its 1992-5 war, with the deal's ratification.

It also has about 1,500 peacekeepers deployed in the Balkan country and a key role in helping it recover from the war.

Muslim member of Bosnia's three-member inter-ethnic presidency Sulejman Tihic told the parliament that, despite a wish to follow the EU position on the ICC, the country had little choice but to accept U.S. demands.

There was no European Union official available for comment.

Under the deal, all Americans in Bosnia, as well as third-country nationals working for U.S. military missions cannot be extradited to the ICC.

But third-country nationals working for other U.S. institutions as well as Bosnians working for any U.S. employer can be prosecuted by the court, a concession obtained in negotiations.