Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-07-03-Speech-3-170"
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"en.20020703.5.3-170"2
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"When, on 11 September, the United States became the victim of terrorist attacks, the EU countries immediately declared their solidarity with the Americans. Without delay, the European Union, in order that this terrorism might be combated, made it possible to extradite people to the US. We did this because we share the same values and standards. After all, the United States, like us, is a democratic constitutional state whom it should be possible to trust.
This same position on shared values leads us to support the International Criminal Court. We are excited about the establishment of this Court. We assumed that only rogue states that are not prepared to try their own citizens for crimes against humanity, genocide and other large-scale offences, would be frightened of this Court. We are therefore shocked by the United States’s reaction. We really did not expect this, because it is abundantly clear that the Criminal Court targets states and citizens of a different kind.
This means, in fact, that the United States places itself above the standards which we thought we had in common with them. Today, we read in the US newspapers that we simply have to accept that America is like an 800 lb gorilla that refuses to be restricted in its freedom of movement. In our view, descriptions of this kind about oneself are extremely unhelpful. Such an attitude also threatens the alliance – and I fully endorse what Mr Haarder said on this subject – because the moral content of the alliance is in this way denied. This attitude is also evident in the common fight against serious distortions of international Rule of Law, which must be frustrated. The US President intends to cancel cooperation in joint action in Bosnia, East Timor, Kosovo, and suchlike. There is even talk of a veto of the UN mandate for actions of this kind.
Faithful, historical allies, such as the Netherlands, perhaps the United States’ oldest ally, are implicitly threatened with violent action. This 'Hague invasion act' must be the maddest thing ever. It is actually better to joke about this in order to illustrate that this is an impetuous step and that the Americans, with their sense of humour, will have to retract measures which are actually wholly inappropriate for them.
Parliament's resolution urges the American administration to retrace its steps and make use of the options open to the ICC participants in order to be able to try their own staff in their own way. For the European Union, this remarkable incident should serve as a warning. We should in any event develop political and defence capacity which enables us to take up our responsibility for international security without American participation. Moreover, I am happy to follow the line taken by Mr Haarder and Commissioner Byrne in respect of future policy."@en1
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