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France-U.S. Relations
International Criminal Court Statement by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson (excerpts)
Paris, August 9, 2002
Has France been approached by the United States to discuss a bilateral agreement that would exempt American nationals from being subjected to the ICC?
France and its partners, including the United States, regularly consult on issues relating to the International Criminal Court. What is France's position on this issue?
You are aware of our commitment to see a universal, strong and effective ICC. We agree with the United States that individual nations have primary responsibility to prosecute and judge war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. In this area, cooperation between nations is desirable and necessary, in order to effectively fight against impunity. The ICC, to which France is a party, is an instrument in that fight against impunity. Its vocation is not to replace individual nations by taking over their responsibilities for prosecuting and judging the authors of international crimes. It will intervene only when those nations cannot or do not want to exercise that responsibility. This basic principle of complementarity leads us to conclude that the fear of prosecution by the court based on political considerations is unfounded. Embassy of France in the United States - August 13, 2002
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