United States Ambassador boycotts Dutch Queen

United States Ambassador boycotts Dutch Queen and UN's Kofi Annan at the Grand Opening of the International Criminal Court tomorrow !

The US and the "Invasion of Holland Act" ; the Queen is not amused !

FPF/Henk Ruyssenaars

The Hague - March 10th 2003 - In a statement to the Dutch press, the american ambassador to the Netherlands, mr. Clifford SOBEL, confirms that he has turned down the official invitation by the Dutch Government, and refuses to attend the inaugural session of the newly created International Criminal Court in The Hague, (Tuesday March 11). The US has been adamantly opposed, afraid to possibly see its nationals being subject to the ICC in the nearby future.

Currently the Rome Statute of the ICC has 89 Ratification's, and, with the worrying exception being the United States. Most other countries in the world will send their political leaders and envoys to the opening session. Which will also be attended by Dutch Queen Beatrix, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan, and most known world leaders. Apart from the boycotting americans : "shredding the last parts of a once positive image", as a foreign observer remarked.

The International Criminal Court is the world's first permanent war crimes tribunal. The statute which was adopted on 17 July 1998, has been signed by 139 states, and ratified by 89, including Britain.

ICC-quote : "In capitals around the world, US government representatives are seeking so-called "Article 98" agreements in an effort to shield US citizens
from prosecution by the newly created International Criminal Court. Already dubbed ‘impunity agreements' by leading legal experts, these bilateral agreements, if signed, would provide that neither party to the accord would bring the others current or former government officials, military or other personnel (regardless of whether or not they are nationals of the state concerned) before the jurisdiction of the Court. Many legal, government and NGO representatives argue that the US is misusing Article 98 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, the provision of the ICC's
governing treaty being evoked to justify seeking such accords. Experts furthermore contend that if countries that have ratified the Rome Statute enter into such agreements, they would breach their obligations under
international law and many would also breach national extradition laws. (end/quote)

Nasty US-undertones and the 'Hague Invasion Act'

This unfriendly - to say the least - "Invasion of the Netherlands Act" was attached to the House version of a State department authorization bill that blocked US money for the UN. The 'Hague Invasion Act' was designed to undermine the 1998 treaty creating the International Criminal Court now seated in The Hague.

It is a World Court to judge large-scale human rights abuses - and the treaty was signed by President Clinton in his last days in office. Only terror states - afraid of having to answer to accusations of large-scale human rights abuses - did not sign the treaty. Unique in American history: president Bush revoked ! the signature by the US. This unfriendly 'Hague Invasion Act' would also prevent any US government agency from cooperating with the court and would block military aid to any non NATO state which ratifies the ICC treaty, which has been signed by more than 140 governments.

The result of the arms twisting is that some NATO countries, such as the Netherlands, already have been 'forced-willing' to collaborate, even without a United Nations nor NATO decision. The right-wing Dutch governments have always been key allies of Washington's, and a Dutch defense spokesman confirmed that four of the country's Patriot anti-missile batteries, manned by about 400 Dutch soldiers, had already been shipped to Turkey on a bilateral basis and would be operational by early March. Dutch F-16's are bombarding in Afghanistan too, contrary to Dutch, and also international laws and conventions.

Still, Dutch ambassador van Eenennaam in the Washington Post said that "he is concerned about a monopoly of power without checks and balances. Self assertiveness and an arrogance of power [among some U.S. officials], that is a troubling thing."

URL : Washington Post :

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A18313-2003Feb16.html

To the US government apparently the International Court in The Hague is "a troubling thing".

CIA-Handbook about Holland :
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/nl.html

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