BIGGEST BULLY ON THE BLOCK

 

U.S. asserts right to invade Holland

 

NSNS  Monday, June 17, 2002

WASHINGTON—The United States Senate has approved a Bush administration proposal whereby the U.S. would be entitled, under certain circumstances, to invade militarily the land of windmills and wooden shoes. This was reported June 7 in the Dutch daily De Telegraaf.

The proposed law empowers U.S. armed forces to invade the Netherlands if a U.S. citizen is brought before the International Criminal Court in the Hague on charges of war crimes or crimes against humanity.

According to informed sources, the United States would also consider responding militarily if Israeli citizens were apprehended on charges stemming from Israel's illegal occupation of Palestinian territories.

The Dutch parliament expressed shock at the proposed U.S. legislation giving an official green light for the invasion of the Netherlands at America's discretion.

A Volkskrant newspaper report said almost all Dutch political parties believe the U.S. proposal undermined the authority of the court, which will officially become active from 1 July.

The parties demanded that caretaker Foreign Affairs Minister Van Aartsen persuade the U.S. to drop the legislation, with VVD MP Terpstra claiming the U.S. proposal was "bizarre and absurd."

Terpstra said the U.S. refusal to sign the court's treaty was its right, but found the legislative proposal for military action went too far, the report said.

The proposal—called the American Services Members' Protection Act—is designed to prevent the International Criminal Court gaining judicial authority over U.S. soldiers.

The U.S. Congress and the Bush administration are fiercely opposed to the court, claiming it violates U.S. sovereignty.

The United States has never had qualms about the citizens of some other country being seized and brought before a contrived international tribunal, whether it be in Nuremberg or Jerusalem.