CPP condemns agreement exempting US from ICC prosecution
The Communist Party of the Philippines strongly condemned an agreement between the US and the Arroyo regime exempting American nationals from prosecution by the International Criminal Court (ICC) or any "third country" for crimes against humanity. The agreement, called "Article 98," was signed by Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas Ople and US State Secretary Colin Powell even before Arroyo headed for the US in May.
In a statement to the media on June 3, Party spokesperson Gregorio "Ka Roger" Rosal said that Article 98 is definitely tied to the objective of further intensifying and expanding the scope of US military intervention in the Philippines. Because US troops and operatives will not be held accountable for their crimes, he said, they will be emboldened to commit unbridled aggression.
Ka Roger also said that Article 98 violates the 1998 Rome Statute which the Philippines signed in December 2000. The Rome Statute, an international agreement signed by 139 countries, established the ICC, which has been tasked to prosecute crimes such as genocide, war crimes and crimes related to foreign aggression.
The US was previously a signatory but withdrew from it in May 2002. Since then, the US has been coercing other countries to withdraw from the agreement or not to sign it. To date, the US has been able to coerce 39 countries into signing Article 98 as a result of its campaign to undermine the Rome Statute's effectivity. The US has given countries that have signed the Rome Statute up to July 1 to withdraw from it or face denial of US military assistance.
In a related development, Vice President Teofisto Guingona pressed Foreign Affairs Secretary Blas Ople to divulge the full text of Article 98 to the public. He expressed fears that the agreement would cover even American troops who commit ordinary crimes. He also said that Article 98 is a treaty that is beyond the jurisdiction of the executive and should have been referred to the senate for deliberation.
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