US gets deal on court rules

New York - The United States says it has obtained an agreement that would keep the door open for a possible exemption of US soldiers…

New York - The United States says it has obtained an agreement that would keep the door open for a possible exemption of US soldiers from prosecution in the world's first ever permanent international criminal court.

"The necessary language we were seeking was adopted," said the US ambassador-at-large for war crimes, Mr David Scheffer. "It is a gateway to the discussion that we need to hold in November on the protection we need for our armed forces," he said in an interview on Thursday with reporters.

At issue are complex rules for a new International Criminal Court that would prosecute individuals for war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity.