ICC: The first permanent world criminal court, dreamed of for decades, became a reality yesterday - even as the United States fought tooth and nail to avoid its jurisdiction over humanity's most heinous crimes.
Without fuss or fanfare, the International Criminal Court's (ICC's) first four workers arrived at temporary quarters in an office block on the outskirts of The Hague to handle complaints of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes worldwide.
Human rights groups hail the ICC as global justice's biggest milestone since an international military tribunal in Nuremberg tried Nazi leaders after the second World War.
But the ICC has no courtroom, prosecutor or judges yet. Armed only with telephones and office equipment as they await construction of permanent premises, the skeleton staff will pave the way for 18 judges and a chief prosecutor expected to be chosen next January.
The court, backed by 74 nations, is not expected to begin operating properly until February and is unlikely to start investigations before the end of 2003.
No one - from head of state to citizen on the street - guilty of human rights violations, including systematic murder, torture and rape, would be immune from ICC prosecution.
But the court, born of a 1998 treaty, has powerful critics like China, Russia and the United States, which wants immunity for its overseas peacekeeping troops and other US officials.
The US has threatened to withdraw from all UN-authorised peacekeeping missions unless the UN Security Council grants it assurances that US nationals are safe from the court's grasp.
Washington has backed off, for now, from a vow to kill off the UN peacekeeping mission in Bosnia over its ICC demands.
But it renewed a threat to shut down the missions one by one to get its way, prompting NATO to call an emergency meeting.
The ICC cannot probe crimes committed before July 1st, 2002, and will not supersede national courts, intervening only when they do not investigate or prosecute serious crimes.
Cases can be referred by states that have ratified the founding 1998 Rome Treaty, the UN Security Council or the tribunal's prosecutor after approval from three judges.
The Security Council also has the power to suspend an ICC investigation or prosecution if it believes it could obstruct its efforts to maintain international peace and security.
New EU president Denmark said it regretted Washington's threat to shut down UN peacekeeping missions. "Countries that support the International Criminal Court and are actively engaged in UN peacekeeping have been placed in a difficult dilemma," Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller said.
Britain expressed disappointment and said it would use its transatlantic ties to try to change the US position. - (Reuters)