EFL
China plans to reject continued immunity of U.S. citizens from prosecution by the International Criminal Court, because of the abuse of Iraqi prisoners, according to the country’s United Nations envoy. The stance may align a majority of the Security Council against the protection. Chinese Ambassador Wang Guangya, 54, said in an interview today his government would abstain from any vote on the measure, joining Benin, Brazil, Chile, France, Germany and Spain, and leaving the U.S. short of the nine votes needed for approval in the 15-member, decision-making body. ``The atmosphere this year is not good because of this scandal over prison abuse,’’ Wang said, referring to instances of mistreatment by U.S. soldiers in Iraq. ``This will send a message that this behavior is not acceptable. My guess is that the council is split half and half, so they don’t have enough votes to support this.’’
The Security Council voted in 2002 to protect U.S. soldiers and personnel from other nations that haven’t ratified the creation of the court through a treaty, and last June renewed the immunity for a year. The U.S. is concerned the treaty doesn’t include safeguards against politically motivated war crimes prosecutions, including possible action against U.S. troops in Iraq. Council members who oppose a U.S. draft resolution extending the immunity for another year have been waiting for China, which has twice voted for the protection, to signal its intention. Defeat of the U.S. resolution might imperil future votes on UN peacekeeping missions, such as the proposed deployment of troops to Sudan. Two years ago, the U.S. vetoed a Security Council resolution to continue the UN mission to Bosnia-Herzegovina on concern that American personnel could be vulnerable to prosecution by the court. Immunity was granted the next month and the mission was renewed. |