§ 31. John RobertsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he is having with his counterparts in the USA about the International Criminal Court. [69609]
§ Mr. MacShaneWe are in regular contact with the US Administration in respect of this issue. Officials have made several approaches, both bilaterally and in conjunction with EU partners, encouraging the US to ratify the Rome Statute. And we have repeatedly made clear that, while we understand US concerns that the Court might bring malicious or politically-motivated charges against US personnel, we do not share them. The Statute of the Court contains safeguards against this. Most recently, and in connection with the renewal of the UN Security Council mandate in respect of peacekeepers in Bosnia (UNMIBH), my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has had a number of conversations with his US counterpart. The outcome was Resolution 1422, unanimously adopted on 12 July 2002, which respects the Statute of the Court and allows the US to continue to participate in UN peacekeeping operations.