The International Criminal Court has begun business. It came into force, and its provisional headquarters have been opened in The Hague, Holland, on 1st 1st July, only four years after the adoption in Rome of its founding UN Statute (signed by 139 States and already ratified by 74). On the same day, the USA opposed to the entry into force of the Court for reasons linked to the immunity of American personnel vetoed the extension of the mandate of the “Sfor” peace-keeping force in Bosnia-Herzegovina, during a meeting of the UN Security Council. Washington’s decision, clearly dictated by its wish to block the installation of the International Criminal Court, or at least weaken its powers, while awaiting the question of the status of US dependants to be settled (the USA does not intend for the time being to ratify the Treaty setting up the Court), is placing in serious jeopardy the continuation of the international mission in Bosnia, whose mandate expires on 5 July and whose existence is conditional on the unanimous agreement of the members of the Security Council. The European Union, both through the Danish Presidency and through the voice of the President of the Commission Romano Prodi, has voiced its concern about the American position and its possible repercussions on the Sfor mission. The recent European Council in Seville decided that the Union should take over from the UNO in the management of “Sfor” from 1st January 2003. The UN Security Council, on the invitation of UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and with the agreement of the US representative, has been given a further three days to try to reach a compromise.
