US opposes Hague trial for Darfur war crimes suspects
Friday January 21st, 2005 22:16.
WASHINGTON, Jan 21 (AFP) -- The United States backed prosecution of
Sudanese suspected of committing atrocities in the troubled Darfur
region but opposed bringing them before the International Criminal
Court.
Hadj Suleiman, one of six arrested Sudanese men, shouts from a cell
inside the court in Nyala, September 30, 2004. (Reuters).
"We have had a number of objections to the International Criminal
Court, and therefore don't believe it's the best option for this,"
said State Department spokesman Richard Boucher.
The United States has refused to recognize the ICC, based in The
Hague, fearing the court could be used to prosecute politically
motivated charges against US diplomats or troops around the
world.
But Boucher stressed the need to try those accused of commiting
atrocities in Darfur, where an estimated 70,000 people have died in
fighting between ethnic rebels and government forces and their
militia allies since February 2003.
The United States declared in September that the bloodshed in the
western region of Sudan constituted genocide and has called for
concerted action to halt the violence.
Boucher said various options were under consideration to bring
suspected Darfur war criminals to justice, including use of the
International Criminal Tribunal set up in Tanzania to try Rwanda
genocide suspects.
He said Washington was awaiting the results of a UN inquiry in
Darfur and would then discuss the issue of prosecutions. "We want
to find effective and appropriate means of accountability and will
consider various options for doing that," he said.
----------------------
This smells of hypocrisy.