The Hindu : Belgium to replace war crime law

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Jul 14, 2003

International

International

Belgium to replace war crime law

BRUSSELS July 13. In its first decision since taking office, Belgium's re-elected centre-left Government has agreed to replace a war crimes law that has clouded relations with the United States, Israel and other nations.

Just hours after his ministerial team was sworn in by King Albert II, the Prime Minister, Guy Verhofstadt, announced late on Saturday his plans to supplant the 1993 law which has been used to target the U.S. President, George W. Bush, the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, the Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, and other world leaders.

``Changing the universal competence law is a priority of this Government,'' Mr. Verhofstadt said.

A new bill is expected to be approved by Parliament before the summer recess starting in early August. The Government is scheduled to approve a final text of the bill next Saturday which will limit the law to cases where the victim or suspect are Belgian citizens or resident in the country for at least three years.

Under the current law, introduced in 1993, Belgian courts were given powers to hear war crimes complaints regardless of where the events occurred or the nationality of those involved.

Originally used to target suspects in Rwanda's 1994 genocide, the law became a political embarrassment for the Government after a spate of complaints were filed against senior U.S. officials.

Furious that the U.S. Iraq war commander, Gen. Tommy Franks, had been targeted by a left-wing Belgian lawyer, the Bush administration warned such complaints could force NATO to abandon its Brussels headquarters.

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