#3 "France, Germany and Mexico abstained to protest a provision that would prevent the International Criminal Court from prosecuting participants in the multinational force from countries that haven't ratified the Rome treaty establishing the war crimes tribunal.
The United States vehemently opposes the court, fearing frivolous or political prosecutions of U.S. troops.
Germany and Mexico explained before the vote that this provision would also violate their national laws by preventing their prosecutors from investigating crimes against German or Mexico citizens in Liberia." (Washington Times)
To clarify: The first argument I don't quite understand because it concerns countries that have NOT ratified ICC. The second has more weight: Washington insists on allowing any crimes committed by peacekeepers to be prosecuted only by the peacekeepers' own governments. This would violate national German law that allows German prosecutors to go after crimes committed against Germans abroad. I suppose France and Mexico have the same laws. Strange though: Doesn't the US have similar laws? Wouldn't the FBI insist on prosecuting murder against a U.S. citizen abroad? If a soldier of an African country kills an U.S. citizen and that African country would let the killer slip away, wouldn't the U.S. insist on prosecution? |