September 18, 2003
Columbia exempts US from war crimes.
Another
article from the Post-Intelligencer, curiously also dealing with legal liability, reports that the government of Columbia has agreed to exempt the US from possible prosecution for war crimes so that it can continue to receive aid and military assistance.
Colombia and the United States signed an accord that exempts Americans in the South American nation from prosecution before the new U.N. international war crimes court, the president's office here said.
Wednesday's agreement frees up military aid suspended in early July after Colombia failed to provide adequate guarantees that U.S. officials would not be handed over to the Brussels-based court.
The United States has given Colombia nearly $2.5 billion in the last three years to battle drug trafficking and a leftist rebel insurgency. About $5 million of the $600 million promised to Colombia this year was suspended.
In a statement issued late Wednesday, Colombian President Alvaro Uribe's office said the accord was made possible because of provisions in an old bilateral deal that was used as a shield to safeguard U.S. officials in Colombia.
The Colombian government had expressed concern that failure to reach such an accord with Washington could put aid slated for 2004 at stake. Of the $575 million requested for Colombia, about $112 million could have been jeopardized.
The State Department stopped $48 million in aid to 35 countries in Africa, Europe, Asia and Central and South America after they failed to meet a July 1 deadline to exempt American troops and other personnel from prosecution before the new court.
This move is essential to continued American involvement in Columbia, where, in point of fact, the US is heavily engaged in military operations, including many that most observers would consider illegal under both American and international law.
