The number of governmentsexempting Americans from prosecution in the InternationalCriminal Court has risen to more than 55 with the addition ofIvory Coast, Senegal and Zambia, a US official said today.
The three governments signed agreements, known as Article98 agreements, on or shortly before July 1, the deadline for adecision on whether the United States would continue to providethem with military assistance.
Washington objects to the court on the grounds it couldlaunch politically motivated prosecutions of US civilian andmilitary leaders. But other countries see it as an importantstep toward international accountability for war crimes.
Zambia signed on July 1 and was listed as a countryineligible for military aid. The US official, who asked notto be named, said a waiver rewarding Zambia and restoring itseligibility was pending in the US bureaucracy.
Aid to Ivory Coast was not at stake because the country hasnot ratified the treaty which set up the court. PresidentGeorge W. Bush gave Senegal a waiver on July 1.
The 47 countries that acknowledge signing the agreementsare: Afghanistan, Albania, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bhutan,Bolivia, Bosnia, Cambodia, Democratic Republic of Congo,Djibouti, the Dominican Republic, East Timor, El Salvador,Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Ghana, Honduras, India, Israel, IvoryCoast, Macedonia, Madagascar, the Maldives, the MarshallIslands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Micronesia, Nauru, Nepal,Nicaragua, Palau, Panama, the Philippines, Romania, Rwanda,Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, Togo,Tonga, Tuvalu, Uganda, Uzbekistan and Zambia.
Egypt, Mongolia, the Seychelles, Tunisia and at least fourother governments have signed unpublicized agreements.