FINAL NEGOTIATIONS ON INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT

ROME, June 15 (LSN) – Final deliberations for the proposed International Criminal Court (ICC) began in Rome today. Delegates from over 180 countries will grapple with the final wording of the document,  including the controversial phrase “forced pregnancy” in the list of war crimes the court would prosecute.  Unlike the current World Court in the Hague, which deals with disputes between nations, the new court will have the power to prosecute individuals and groups for “crimes against humanity.” Because “forced pregnancy” seems clearly to refer to the lack of legalized abortion, pro-lifers fear the ICC will be used to persecute the pro-life movement on a global scale.  UN Secretary General Kofi Annan opened the conference today, calling the proposed court a “bulwark against evil,” and advocating a “court strong and independent enough to carry out its task.” Canadian judge Louise Arbour, currently head of the ad hoc war crimes tribunal and lead contender to head the new ICC, said ideally the court “would have universal jurisdiction (and) all states would be required to co-operate.”“It would have coercive powers that would bind states to produce documents and evidence it would be armed with the ability to get evidence it needs,” she said.