PRESS CONFERENCE SPONSORED BY UNITED STATES MISSION

Press Briefing

PRESS CONFERENCE SPONSORED BY UNITED STATES MISSION

A press conference, sponsored by the United States Mission, was held at United Nations Headquarters this afternoon to announce the support of former senior United States Government officials for proposed United States legislation designed to protect United States citizens from prosecution by the International Criminal Court.

Mark Theissen, press spokesman for the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee distributed copies of a letter from a dozen former officials endorsing the "American Servicemembers' Protection Act". The signers included four former secretaries of state, two former directors of defense, three national security advisors, two former directors of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and a former United States ambassador to the United Nations.

Steve Radamaker, an aide to Congressman Ben Gilman of the United States’ House International Relations Committee also attended the press conference.

Quoting from the letter, addressed a Republican leader from the United States House of Representatives, Mr. Theissen said the legislation was an appropriate response to the threat to American sovereignty and international freedom of action posed by the International Criminal Court. He claimed the treaty establishing the Court had many obvious defects, and that war crimes and other human rights violations had long been subject to criminal penalties under United States domestic law. The United States had a far better record of enforcing laws against human rights violations than some of the countries that supported the International Criminal Court, he added. The letter further stated that passage of this proposed domestic legislation could only strengthen the hand of United States negotiators as they sought to change aspects of the treaty.

He told a correspondent that although no specific timeframe had been set for action on the bill in the United States Congress, the Chairman of the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee had indicated he intended to make it one of his top legislative priorities for next year. Mr. Theissen believed that the bill would receive strong bipartisan support in the United States.

In response to a question, Mr. Theissen said the purpose of the bill was to protect servicemen and to prevent the International Criminal Court from coming into being. He expected that the bill's provision denying military aid to countries ratifying the treaty would serve as a strong disincentive to Member States that wished to ratify it.

He told another correspondent that he did not accept the establishment of the Court as a "given". On the contrary, if the United States adopted a strong position and actively opposed the Court, it could prevent the International Criminal Court from coming into being.

United States Press Conference - 2 - 29 November 2000

Asked to comment on the serious appeals from some of the staunchest supporters of the United States, Mr. Theissen said that the same allies that were urging the United States to join the International Criminal Court were doing little to assuage its concerns.

He expressed concern about the Court being used for politicized prosecutions, with the United States and Israel being at the greatest risk.

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