Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs written question – answered at on 19 June 2003.
Mr Tony Worthington
Labour, Clydebank and Milngavie
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which states have signed bilateral impunity agreements following Resolution 1422 of the United Nations Security Council; and how many have ratified them.
Bill Rammell
Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Foreign & Commonwealth Office
The US has publicly announced that the following 29 states have signed bilateral non-surrender agreements (to the International Criminal Court) with the US: Romania, Israel, East Timor, Tajikistan, Dominican Republic, Palau, Mauritania, Afghanistan, Micronesia, Gambia, El Salvador, Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Djibouti, Tuvalu, Bahrain, Azerbaijan, Nauru, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tonga, The Maldives, Ghana, Madagascar, Albania, Bhutan, Bosnia and Herzogovina and Bolivia. A further six have signed and ratified an agreement: Marshall Islands, Uzbekistan, Honduras, Georgia, Sierra Leone and Gabon.
The UK has been approached by the US with a view to signing such an agreement. We have made clear that we could only sign an agreement that was consistent with the ICC Statute and the Guiding Principles agreed by the EU to govern such agreements. We await further detailed proposals.
Yes1 person thinks so
No1 person thinks not
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