Will this give the UN teeth?

[JohnS]

The International Criminal Court was officially instituted today at the United Nations headquarters. The court, a permanent tribunal to prosecute "crimes against humanity," strides onto the world stage without the ratification of the United States. Deemed by some as a grave threat to national sovereignty, the United States has lodged strenuous objections to the ICC. As late as Monday there were reports that President Bush had sought means to retract the signature of former president Clinton, who signed the treaty on his last day in office. A signature indicates a nation's intent to seek ratification. However, the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee would not bring the treaty to the Senate for a vote.

The Rome Statute, a treaty calling for the establishment of a world court to prosecute gross human rights abuse, was launched in 1998. The U.S., China, Iraq and Israel voted against the Statute that year, while nations that favored the court first signed, then ratified the treaty. The final four of the 60 ratifications necessary for the court to become operative were received today as the ninth preparatory committee session ("prepcom") of the International Criminal Court opened at the U.N.

The prepcom, chaired by Philippe Kirsch of Canada, will finalize the arrangements for nomination and election procedures for ICC judges. The first Assembly of States Parties is scheduled for this September at The Hague, Netherlands. Norway has agreed to contribute 784,000 Euros to cover early budgetary requirements for the Court.

Objections to the court by Americans are based largely on fears that such a court could bring politically motivated charges against U.S. presidents and military personnel. Crimes of "aggression" have not as yet been defined, leaving open to future interpretation any number of military operations. When one nation defends itself, is that aggression against another? So-called crimes against humanity include vague phrases such as injury to a population's "mental health." Who is to determine when such a crime has been perpetrated?

Any U.S. citizens prosecuted by the International Criminal Court will be DENIED the guarantees of the U.S. Constitution. As of yet, the process for electing and rotating ICC judges is incomplete. Opponents of the court suggest that world events in the near future could find the U.S. and its citizens at the mercy of a panel of judges from non-Western nations, or of nations that seek to extort favorable trade agreements from the U.S. Critics ask: What is to prevent the court from prosecuting a U.S. president that topples Saddam Hussein without first seeking assurance from the U.N. that such military activity would not be categorized as a war crime?

U.S. treaty specialists underscore the unique danger of the ICC: It is not a treaty among parties in agreement, but is instead a new, and many believe dangerous, species of an international instrument that subordinates all nation states in the world to the rule of the United Nations' court. The ICC can prosecute whenever it deems a nation's courts have failed to prosecute its own violators of "human rights." Never before has such power been held over nation states, say court critics.

The creation of this World Criminal Court is a very dangerous threat to all that our Founding Fathers held dear.

[JohnS]

FIRST CALL FOR NEW WORLD CRIMINAL COURT ACTION

Palestinian sympathizers in Europe and the Arab world called yesterday for the Israeli government to be investigated for war crimes, raising the prospect that leaders of the Jewish state could be among the first targets of the new International Criminal Court. That court became a reality yesterday at a U.N. signing ceremony in New York, with representatives of 66 countries that have ratified the treaty establishing the first global war-crimes tribunal.

[Guest]

Meaningless nonsense because you need a really stupendous military to arrest Bush or Sharon. It is a recipe for war in that one of these days they will overstep their ability and get whacked. Yes, the UN can indict and try some poor slob in Bosnia but exactly how do they plan on arresting Sharon? LOL! The UN can't fight it's way out of a wet paperbag without US support. I would love to see them try and arrest Sharon.

[JohnS]

This is true!

"I will turn you around, put hooks into your jaws, and lead you out." Still thinking about hooks.

[Guest]

I think the hook or insentive will be the Jewish people who are leaving Russia in droves. Young, highly educated and talented. Just like Pharaoah who looked around wondering who was going to do the work, the Russian ruler might want his workers back.

On the other hand, Ezekiel makes such a big deal out of Gog that I am wondering if this is not some sort of spiritual war involving demons and humans. The last rebellion at the end of the Millennium will also feature Gog, so there is more to this then we are told. For sure the Tribulation will be a crazy time for humans because Angels, Demons and human beings will interact and war with each other. Revelation makes that clear with the demon locusts, and the 200 million riders from ####. A real good time not to be on earth.

[Dimension]

I quite pleased JG has been banned.  His was a voice of shrouded darkness.  

John S, where did your post "FIRST CALL FOR NEW WORLD CRIMINAL COURT ACTION" come from?

[JohnS]

Probably came from 'For Your Glory'. Barbara Richmond writes them. Good site, check it out!

http://www.foryourglory.org/

[Dimension]

The International Criminal Court will go into effect on the first day of the month occurring 60 days after the ratification of 60 member states.  On 11 April 2002 (100 days after the beginning of the year), 10 countries ratified the Rome Statute for the ICC, surpassing the number needed to trigger entry into force of the statute on 1 July 2002 (181 days after the beginning of the year, or 81 days after the ratification).  The total number of signers at the time of the ratification was 66.  The court will have 18 judges serving 9 year terms.  For those of you who have an understanding of such things, you know the significant of the numbers.  The court was supported heavily by NGO bodies of the UN.  For those of you who understand, you can see the relationship of the numbers in the symbol at the NGO website (www.ngo.org).