UNITED NATIONS, July 11, 2002 (LSN.ca) – Facing loud opposition, especially from Canada and Europe, the United States has altered its demand for permanent immunity from the International Criminal Court (ICC) to yearly renewable immunity. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Negroponte placed a resolution before the members of the UN Security Council yesterday requesting that they approve a 12 month deferral from prosecution for U.S. peacekeepers.
A public meeting on the situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina was held to allow the council and other U.N. member states to air positions on the stalemate over the ICC. The United States vetoed the mandate renewal of the U.N. Mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina (UNMIBH) until the end of the year because of concerns over the reach of the ICC on Americans in the peacekeeping mission. The mission currently has a temporary extension until July 15. The U.S. has 50 civilian police in UNMIBH and more than 2,000 troops in the U.N.-authorized, peacekeeping operation.
See Negroponte’s full speech to the council and the AP coverage: https://usinfo.state.gov/cgi-bin/washfile/display.pl?p=/products/washfile/latest&f=02071006.wlt&t=/products/washfile/newsitem.shtml https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A47823-2002Jul10.html