Kerry Spells Out Position On ICC

Senator Kerry has provided more specifics about how his administration would work with the International Criminal Court.  In responding to questions posed by the Boston Globe for an October 5th article, Kerry explained a cautiously more receptive approach.

"My number one priority is to protect the servicemen and women who protect America from harm.  Therefore, I don't believe the United States should join the International Criminal Court until our concerns are addressed and the Court develops a solid track record of fair prosecutions of the world's worst criminals.  Where American troops and officials are deployed abroad, I will make sure that our Status of Forces agreements and other arrangements protect them from politically motivated prosecutions in any court."

"But I will not continue the obsessive and self-defeating campaign President Bush has waged against the ICC and the close American allies that support it.  This president has utterly failed to kill the ICC or to provide meaningful additional protections to Americans.  All he's done is to alienate our closest allies and diminish his own authority in the world.  Last year, in a dispute over the ICC, he even froze military aid to Eastern European countries that were sending troops to Iraq to stand by our men and women there.  That is no way to protect our servicemen and women from the real threats they face.  It reflects utterly misguided priorities."

"Our concerns about the ICC are much more likely to be addressed, and our troops more likely to be protected, if we work with close allies like Great Britain, Poland and Spain, not against them," Kerry wrote.

+ Factsheet on Presidential ICC Debate