American NGO Coaltion for the International Criminal Court (AMICC) Convener John Washburn led a 9-member delegation to the December 4-14 annual meeting of the International Criminal Court's Assembly of States Parties. The delegates were students, NGO representatives, and senior faculty members from across the country.
Among AMICC priorities, the Assembly adopted a text of the crime of aggression for amendment into the Court's Rome Statute. The text provided for a severely limited jurisdiction by the Court over the crime.The Assembly also approved a budget which many observers felt was inadequate to the Court's needs. The Assembly authorized steps to improve the payment of reparations by the Trust Fund for Victims. It heard reports by senior officials of the Court. This included one by the Prosecutor in which she declared her determination to proceed with a case in Afghanistan which could potentially bring charges against senior American officials and military officers.
The AMICC delegation had discussions with a United States observer delegation composed of civil servants. Its statement declared that the Court had no jurisdiction over Americans in Afghanistan.
