US launches drive against ICC authority

Washington, July 14 (IANS) The United States has launched what it described as a “whole-of-government” campaign to counter the International Criminal Court (ICC), with the State Department leading an effort that could include sanctions, visa restrictions and diplomatic pressure on countries that support the Hague-based tribunal.

The initiative marks one of the strongest public declarations yet by the Trump administration against the ICC, which Washington says poses a threat to American sovereignty and could improperly target US officials and military personnel.

“The United States is launching a sweeping, whole-of-government campaign led by the State Department to systematically dismantle the International Criminal Court’s threat to US sovereignty,” State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said.

The administration is considering “a wide range of options” in coordination with other federal agencies, according to a senior State Department official.

These include travel bans, visa revocations, expanded sanctions against the ICC and affiliated organisations, and diplomatic efforts aimed at reducing international support for the court.

The official said senior US leaders, including the Secretary of State, the Deputy Secretary, ambassadors and other senior officials, are contacting governments around the world as part of a coordinated campaign to isolate the ICC diplomatically.

The calls are intended to persuade countries that are parties to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC, to withdraw from the court and halt financial support for it, the official said.

Countries that are not parties to the treaty are also being encouraged to use their diplomatic influence to support the US campaign.

The State Department official said nations that work closely with US law enforcement, host American military forces or benefit from the broader US security umbrella are being urged to reject what Washington called the ICC’s authority to prosecute American officials and service members.

“We will watch with interest which nations join ranks with us against this threat to Americans who are willing to risk their lives to protect others,” the official said.

The administration also indicated that countries continuing to support the court while relying on US assistance could face closer scrutiny.

“While the calls are intended to highlight the ICC’s abuses and the risks posed to Americans and other nations, nations that refuse to reject the ICC’s false authority while relying on US assistance are likely to come under increased scrutiny,” the official said.

Pigott said the administration views the court as seeking powers that go beyond those of sovereign states.

“The ICC now seeks to become the unaccountable global arbiter – positioning itself above and beyond the nation state as a supranational enforcement arm of a globalist bureaucracy empowered to persecute American servicemen and officials at will,” he said.

He added: “The United States does not recognize the authority of international bureaucrats an ocean away who seek to upend America’s 250-year history of self-governance and impose an illegitimate legal order on our sovereign nation. America’s sovereignty is and always will be non-negotiable.”

Pigott also signalled that Washington is prepared to escalate its response.

“A wide range of options are available to ensure the ICC is completely and utterly incapable of threatening the U.S. and our people. No diplomatic option will be off-limits in the campaign to dismantle the threat posed by the ICC to Americans,” he said.

The United States has never been a party to the Rome Statute and has long argued that the ICC should not exercise jurisdiction over US citizens without Washington’s consent.

The ICC, established in 2002 and headquartered in The Hague, is mandated to prosecute individuals accused of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression when national courts are unwilling or unable to do so.

More than 120 countries are parties to the Rome Statute, although several major powers, including the United States, China, India and Russia, are not members of the court.

–IANS

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