Bolton's draft speech says the Trump administration "will fight back" if the ICC proceeds with opening an investigation into alleged war crimes committed by US service members and intelligence professionals during the war in Afghanistan. If such an inquiry goes ahead, the Trump administration will consider banning judges and prosecutors from entering the United States, put sanctions on any funds they have in the US financial system and prosecute them in American courts. In addition, the United States may negotiate more binding, bilateral agreements to prohibit nations from surrendering Americans to The Hague-based court, says the text. The court's aim is to bring to justice the perpetrators of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. The United States did not ratify the Rome treaty that established the ICC in 2002, with then-president George W Bush opposed to the court.

Source: Dhaka Tribune September 10, 2018 13:18 UTC