ICC prosecutor says Bush, Blair could face war crimes investigation News
ICC prosecutor says Bush, Blair could face war crimes investigation

[JURIST] US President George Bush and UK Prime Minister Tony Blair [official profiles] may one day face war crimes charges before the International Criminal Court (ICC) [official website; JURIST news archive] at The Hague, according to ICC Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo [official profile; BBC profile]. Moreno-Ocampo said Sunday that the ICC could investigate allegations of war crimes stemming from the conduct of coalition forces in Iraq [JURIST news archive], so long as Iraq agrees to ratify the Rome Statute [PDF text] and accede to ICC jurisdiction. Hamid al-Bayati [official profile], Iraq's ambassador to the United Nations, said the country is considering joining the ICC.

Britain is one of the State Parties to the Rome Statute [list] but the US has historically opposed the ICC, making it unlikely Bush or any other American citizens could face trial at the Hague. The UK Sunday Telegraph has more.

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On November 19, 1977, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat visited Israel, becoming the first leader of an Arab nation to officially visit. Two years later, President Sadat became the first Arab leader to recognize Israel by signing the Egyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty. Read President Sadat's address to the Israeli Knesset.

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