[size=3][b]US Pulls Out of Int'l Court Treaty[/b][/size=3]

"WASHINGTON (AP) - The United States said Monday it wants nothing to do with a treaty creating the first permanent international war crimes tribunal, a decision immediately criticized by human rights groups and some lawmakers. Others welcomed the move.

We believe that states, not international institutions, are primarily responsible for ensuring justice in the international system," Marc Grossman, the undersecretary of state for political affairs, said in announcing the Bush administration decision.

As constituted today, Grossman said, the international criminal court "claims the authority to detain and try American citizens, even though our democratically elected representatives have not agreed to be bound by the treaty."

That threatens U.S. sovereignty, he said.

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said the tribunal's planned July 1 start-up "means that our men and women in uniform _as well as current and former U.S. officials_ could be at risk of prosecution.

"We want to make clear that the United States rejects the purported jurisdictional claims (of the court) and the United States will regard as illegitimate any attempt by the court, or state parties to the treaty, to assert (its) jurisdiction over American citizens."

(full text at [url]http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&ncid=716&e=3&u=/ap/20020506/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/international_court[/url])

Good.