BOSNIA: Crisis meetings were held in Brussels and Sarajevo yesterday aimed at staving off a US withdrawal from peacekeeping operations in Bosnia, writes Judy Dempsey, in Brussels
Diplomats said a US pullout because of concerns over the newly established International Criminal Court (ICC) would amount to one of the most serious threats to multinational peacekeeping.
On Sunday night, the US vetoed a resolution extending the mandate of the UN and NATO's peacekeeping operations in Bosnia to send the message it would not allow its peacekeepers to be subject to the new court. It later agreed to a three-day extension of the mandate.
In Brussels, NATO ambassadors and the top officials from the EU's political and security committee met in emergency sessions to decide what steps to take.
The US is seeking blanket immunity from prosecution by the ICC for its peacekeeping personnel. The court came into force yesterday.
Despite this, Mr Colin Powell, US Secretary of State, said Washington was committed to the peace process in Bosnia. "Our position remains unchanged," he told Mr Paddy Ashdown, the high representative in Bosnia.
Mr Ashdown told Mr Powell that if the UN's Bosnia mandate were not extended by tomorrow, peace and stability would be placed at risk.
The authorities said their attempts to stamp out corruption, crime and drug and human trafficking would be undermined if the mandate to extend police operations were ended.
Mr Ari Fleischer, the White House press secretary, yesterday claimed the US was seeking the same protection as other countries for its citizens.
"The administration strongly supports Bosnian peacekeeping and we want to protect our peacekeepers so that they can keep the peace," he said. "I also note that many of the nations that are signatories to this treaty have built in similar protections to themselves."
In New York, UN diplomats were last night trying to seek a compromise that would not undermine the integrity of the ICC or of peacekeeping operations.
Washington has refused to ratify the ICC, claiming it fails to provide sufficient protection to its military and civilian personnel involved in peacekeeping. EU diplomats said there were stringent safeguards in the ICC treaty.
As leverage, President Bush's administration has used the 1,300- strong UN-backed International Police Task Force operation in Bosnia, to which the US has contributed 46 police officers.
Military experts in Sarajevo warned of a dangerous vacuum if the US were to veto the operation.
NATO, however, managed to win a reprieve for its own Sfor military mission during an emergency meeting of the 19 ambassadors in Brussels.
On the same day that Denmark took over the EU presidency, Danish Foreign Minister Mr Per Stig Moeller said he deeply regretted the US decision, which "threatens UN peace operations in general".
"Countries that support the ICC and are actively engaged in UN peacekeeping have been placed in a difficult dilemma," Mr Moeller said. European Commission President Mr Romano Prodi and Danish Prime Minister Mr Anders Fogh Rasmussen also voiced regret at the decision.
China, Russia, India and Israel, have also continued to oppose the court, along with the US, arguing that their citizens could be the target of politically motivated prosecutions. British criticism was less vociferous than some other European states, though Mr Jack Straw said Britain was still trying to persuade the US to change its mind.
France offered to seek a solution to the crisis which would be "reasonable and acceptable to all". - (Financial Times Service)