Europeans resist US call for UN immunity
By Kim Sengupta
28 June 2002
Leaked documents show that America is seeking wide-ranging immunity for its troops on United Nations missions, especially in the former Yugoslavia, from prosecution before the new International Criminal Court.

One of two resolutions presented to the UN Security Council would guarantee that "current and former" UN forces did not have to face an international tribunal, and this "immunity shall continue after termination of their participation in the operation for all such acts".

The widely held view is that if the Security Council adopted the US resolutions, the International Criminal Court (ICC) would be severely under-mined before it began its life next week.

Diplomatic sources say the US administration has warned that a failure by the Security Council to pass the resolutions could lead to Washington drastically reducing its 27 per cent contribution to the UN's peace-keeping budget and withdrawing its troops from international peace-keeping duties.

Britain, one of the leading proponents of the ICC is, in particular, under intense pressure from Washington to vote for the resolutions, according to the sources. A change of stance by London, it is believed, would lead to France and other members of the council softening their opposition.

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