Austin: US not pressuring TT on ICC

UNITED STATES Ambassador Dr Roy Austin yesterday declared that the US was not trying to force Trinidad and Tobago to renege on its support for the International Criminal Court (ICC) through the withdrawal of military aid.

Addressing a news conference at the US Information Research Centre, the Ambassador stated: “We are not telling TT not to support the ICC. We are saying we would like a special agreement that is based on an article in the Rome Treaty (which created the ICC) that will protect our forces.” Austin explained: “When nations met in Rome in 1998 to consider the establishment of this court, the US was a player. The US raised certain objections which we think today are still important. Some of our objections were met, very important objections were not met. President Clinton did sign the agreement, but his administration had raised objections. He signed the treaty because he felt we could work from inside to bring about the changes that we felt were desirable. He noted there were many flaws, and he advised that the succeeding administration should not ratify that agreement until some of those changes, the important ones of course, were made.”

The Ambassador said this was crucial given the increasing pressure on the US to undertake global peacekeeping operations worldwide. Austin observed that in the present scenario, Secretary of State Colin Powell could be arrested while on a State visit to TT by Government if the ICC believes him to be guilty of crimes against humanity. “That’s how serious the matter is,” he said grimly.