The U.S. has moved to renew a Security Council resolution that would exempt military and civilian personnel "related to a UN-authorized operation." from the jurisdiction of the “International Criminal Court.” According to Reuters, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan scolded the U.S for its move and called on the Security Council to block the measure. He claims, "The blanket exemption is wrong. It is of dubious judicial value and I don't think it should be encouraged by the council."

Of course, Mr. Annan finds the Abu Ghraib incidents a convenient justification for his argument and claims, "I think it would be unfortunate for one to press for such an exemption, given the prisoner abuse in Iraq. I think in this circumstance it would be unwise to press for an exemption, and it would be even more unwise on the part of the Security Council to grant it."

The only thing of “dubious judicial value” is the so-called “International Criminal Court.” The U.N. has no legal authority to subject a sovereign nation to any legal system it devises unless that nation consents. There is simply no “judicial value” to the assertion that U.S. citizens can be hauled in front of such a court.

The European prosecutors are likely salivating at the thought of pressing charges against the “war criminals” George W. Bush, Donald Rumsfeld, and Colin Powell . . . but they will just have to wait.

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