US and France iron out Sudan deal

U-N Security Council has approved the resolution to prosecute Sudanese war crimes suspects at the International Criminal Court. It has moved quickly to approve the resolution after the United States reversed policy and agreed not to veto the document. The U-S, which abstained with three other countries, got significant concessions.

It’s reportedly been given ironclad guarantees that U-S citizens who are part of any U-N peacekeeping operation in Sudan wouldn’t be handed over to the court if they’re accused of something. The western Sudanese region of Darfur has been the scene of perhaps the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, including a brutal counterinsurgency campaign led by government-supported Arab militias against black African farmers. Copyright 2005 Associated Press. They said the United States would abstain, rather than use its veto power to kill the resolution that would ask the ICC to investigate those responsible for pillage, rape and slaughter in Darfur.

British Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry told reporters he was confident the measure, drawn up by France, would be adopted by the 15-member council. And a French official told reporters: “There is a deal. There will not be a U.S. veto.”

The Bush administration, which fiercely opposes the court, sought to write blanket exemptions from prosecution for American citizens into the resolution. he UN Security Council adopted on Thursday a resolution referring alleged perpetrators ofwar crimes and crimes against humanity in Sudan’s conflict-wracked west region, Darfur, to the International Criminal Court (ICC), after the United States chose to abstain.

Under the resolution, war crimes and crimes against humanity taking place in Darfur since July 1, 2002, will be dealt with by the ICC. But the ICC will not start investigation or prosecution within one year after the adoption of the resolution. Washington had received assurances that no US members of any peacekeeping operation in Sudan would be prosecuted. A UN report two months ago said attacks on civilians in Darfur could amount to crimes against humanity.