US threat to slash aid over ICC invites flak

The Bush administration, intent on exempting US citizens from prosecution by the International Criminal Court (ICC), is drawing fresh accusa...

The Bush administration, intent on exempting US citizens from prosecution by the International Criminal Court (ICC), is drawing fresh accusations of diplomatic heavy-handedness by threatening to cut off military aid to dozens of allies that refuse to sign immunity deals with the US.

A deadline for cooperation expired at midnight, freezing money not yet spent this year by about 35 countries and putting the countries on notice that they could be denied millions for military equipment and training programmes in the next budget year if they do not comply with US wishes.

President Bush and his aides are reviewing projects in a number of countries for waivers that could be announced soon. Other nations, including the NATO allies, receive automatic exemptions. But a fierce struggle is underway — with the US facing off against much of Europe — that has led to bad feelings and leaves some small countries feeling squeezed.

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It hardly seems fair, a Lithuanian government official said, to face an aid cutoff over the international court issue despite ‘‘standing along with the US in your fight against terrorism and sending troops to Afghanistan and Iraq.’’

Lithuania is one of seven countries expected to join NATO next year and needs US funding to upgrade its military. Croatia has a more complex problem, a diplomat said Monday. US authorities for years have been pressing the Zagreb government to surrender Croatians for war crimes prosecutions at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague.

The Bush administration withdrew its signature last year from the treaty that created the court — ratified by more than 90 countries — and embarked on a vast diplomatic campaign to persuade nearly 180 countries to sign immunity pledges. The Bush administration threatened to shut down United Nations peacekeeping missions worldwide until the UN provided immunity to Americans. The Security Council granted the demand, then extended it for another year on June 12.

State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said Monday that the immunity agreements ‘‘will be a significant and pressing matter in our relations with every state.’’ With barely 50 countries acceding to the US request, the administration is putting out the message that negotiations will continue. — LAT-WP