[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 66 (Tuesday, May 15, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E803]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    FOREIGN RELATIONS AUTHORIZATION ACT, FISCAL YEARS 2002 AND 2003

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                               speech of

                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 10, 2001

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration: the bill (H.R. 1646) to 
     authorize appropriations for the Department of State for 
     fiscal years 2002 and 2003, and for other purposes:

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Mr. Chairman, once again, I would like to speak in 
opposition to the DeLay amendment to H.R. 1646.
  The intent of the International Criminal Court (ICC) is to try 
individual perpetrators of genocide, war crimes and crimes against 
humanity when nations cannot or will not hold perpetrators accountable. 
I can think of no Member of the U.S. Congress, the administration, or 
any federal agency, including the Department of Defense and all 
branches of our armed forces, opposed to ensuring that war criminals 
are brought to justice. If the accused perpetrator of a war crime is an 
American citizen, civilian or soldier, then I would strongly support 
our civilian and/or military systems of justice do everything in their 
power to bring this individual to trial in the appropriate American 
court as would be permissible under the ICC treaty.
  The argument by supporters of this amendment that American servicemen 
and servicewomen would be at risk of being tried in foreign courts 
under the ICC treaty is not accurate. Presently, any alleged crime, 
including war crimes, committed by U.S. citizens on foreign soil can 
already be tried in that nation's courts. The ICC would do nothing to 
diminish the role a U.S. court would have in bringing to trial accused 
war criminals if they were American citizens. In fact, the ICC could 
only intervene in trying Americans in the very unlikely event that the 
American judicial system would be unwilling or unable to try a case.
  I do not believe the formation of the ICC will threaten American 
military personnel. The ICC will provide a forum to bring individuals 
to justice that commit the most heinous and inhuman acts of systematic 
violence around the world. To ensure that the U.S. Congress is 
committed to achieve this needed justice I oppose the DeLay amendment.

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