Newsgroup: it.politica.internazionale
Titolo: Britain, Italy Break EU Ranks on War Crimes Court

By John Chalmers
August 31, 2002 05:46 AM ET
ELSINORE, Denmark (Reuters) - Britain and Italy broke European Union ranks
in a row over the fledgling war crimes court on Saturday, hinting that they
might sign a bilateral immunity deal with the United States.
The move is a diplomatic victory for Washington, whose efforts to keep
Americans out of the International Criminal Court's (ICC) reach has added to
transatlantic strains over Iraq, and could deal a blow to the tribunal's
credibility.
A British Foreign Office spokesman said Britain would wait until the EU
reached a common position on agreements not to hand over U.S. citizens to
the ICC. But he said such deals were in keeping with the court's founding
treaty.
"We are not going to reach a British position until we know the European
one, if there is one," the spokesman said on the sidelines of an EU foreign
ministers' meeting in the Danish seaside resort of Elsinore. "But these
kinds of agreements are not incompatible with the ICC treaty."
Diplomats said Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi had indicated to
Italian reporters on Friday night that Rome was prepared to clinch a deal
with Washington, following the controversial examples of Romania, Israel and
East Timor.
"He (Berlusconi) is convinced there is a problem for the United States and
no one can ignore that it is a real problem," an Italian diplomat said.
"He wants the EU to take U.S. concerns into consideration and try to achieve
a common position taking into account the problems of the U.S. and without
jeopardizing the ICC."
But Italy, like Britain, wants to hold off from its own deal until there is
a common position within the 15-nation EU.
DISAPPOINTMENT, BUT NO SURPRISE
The tribunal, which is expected to start functioning in The Hague,
Netherlands, early next year, was set up to try individuals for atrocities,
genocide, war crimes and systematic human rights abuses.
But the United States, which fears its soldiers overseas could be vulnerable
to politically motivated charges, opposes the court. Last month, it won a
year's grace period from such prosecution after threatening to veto all
peacekeeping operations in the U.N. Security Council.
Washington has since lobbied ICC signatory countries to sign bilateral
"immunity agreements" under Article 98 of the treaty that created the court.
European Commission legal experts have concluded that such pacts are not
compatible with the treaty.
Diplomats said they were not surprised that Britain and Italy -- which both
see themselves as close allies of the United States -- were breaking ranks,
but they expressed disappointment that they had not discussed with its EU
partners first.
"The important thing is that the EU stick together," Swedish Foreign
Minister Anna Lindh had warned on Friday as talk swirled of British backing
for the United States, adding that compromises would undermine the court.
Diplomats said Germany believes that Article 98 of the ICC treaty does
legally provide for bilateral exemption agreements but politically it kills
the spirit of the project.
Romania, a candidate country for the EU and NATO, drew sharp criticism from
the European Commission for signing an agreement with Washington and the
executive has since told other would-be members not to sign up until the EU
has agreed a common stand. (additional reporting by Marie-Louise Moller)
 
http://www.reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=topnews&StoryID=1394702
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Seems like it that for Britain and Italy the US is more important than the
EU and international justice........ :(
Suzan

 Suzan
Well it should be read Bush's poodle (Blair) and wannabe Bush's poodle 2
(Berlusconi) break ranks etc...
please do notice that actually Berlusconi is not only Prime Minister 
but also Foreign Minister as long as owner of some newspapers, TV stations, 
one football club etc.. so basically, particularly on foreign policy,
he enjoys a very high degree of freedom. Probably same degree that
Blair can enjoy.
Just to give you the whole picture, consider that he shares power with, 
among others, the post fascists of AN (Alleanza  Nazionale) spineless chumps 
who fancy themselves  to be the guardians of National Identity and other 
values like that. Amazingly enough they sit in the same government 
with Lega Nord (the other Berlusconi's allies) who  usually on the
15th of September make a political rally to celebrate the independence
of padania (their ghost country) in Venezia (declared by them the capital
of it) - this is not a joke. Berlusconi, leader of Forza Italia (="go Italy")
and the post fascist and supposedly nationalist of AN are in the same
government with Bossi who yelled (I guess two years ago, or maybe three?)
in front of TV and journalist "put that [Italian] flag in the WC"
to an Italian flag-bearer political opponent.
Would you expect a coherent foreign policy from such an assorted bunch of..?
Every country has got its peculiar problems such as flooding, heart quakes,
famine, Blair, locusts, Berlusconi etc..
Technically speaking please do notice that Berlusconi does not represents
the majority of the Italians. Basically he sits there because another
calamity - the communists die harder of an idiot named Bertinotti - decided
to stab in the back the left at the last elections.
Now they [communists die harder] are flapping around the country saying 
that the time of the revolution is near. They organise nice political rallies 
on often misspelled topics but they do not litter, and overall they are friendly 
and very  entertaining - they talk such as Jeowah Witness possessed by the 
ghost  of Lenin,  I mean seriously you can switch on the TV and hear 
"the workers masses...  the proletarian..." and the like.
On the other hand you can hear the above mentioned Berlusconi and the
like talking about "risk of communist takeover.. "
sorry, I am not too much off topic, so well regarding broken ranks and all 
that, the bottom line is just beware of politicians whose name starts with "B"
(don't you see? Bush, Blair, Berlusconi.. definitely there is a trend!) 
and please, do not think that Berlusconi is all Italy, that's like
pouring salts on open wounds.
Bye

might sign a bilateral immunity deal with the United States.
The British have become such spineless wimps lately, it's sickening.