Rubio steps up campaign against ICC
Washington: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the Trump administration has launched an international campaign to curb the influence of the International Criminal Court (ICC), while highlighting diplomatic initiatives in the Middle East and growing support from pro-American governments across the Western Hemisphere.
Speaking during President Donald Trump’s Cabinet meeting at Camp David, Rubio described the ICC as an institution that had overstepped its authority by asserting jurisdiction over citizens of countries that are not parties to the court.
“The International Criminal Court is an illegitimate international organization,” Rubio said. “They’ve made themselves illegitimate because they claim that even if you’re not a member of that court, they can come after you.”
He said such claims could expose American military personnel and political leaders to prosecution abroad.
“What that literally means in the future is that American servicemen, political leaders and others could find themselves under indictment by this International Criminal Court,” Rubio said.
Rubio said Washington had first sought reforms within the court but had shifted strategy after those efforts failed.
“We’ve now begun an effort to really try to bring that court to heel,” he said.
According to Rubio, the initiative has already gained international support.
“We’ve had dozens of countries already join us in this effort since we started two weeks ago. Five countries have already quit the ICC and notified them that they’re leaving and we think there’ll be more,” he said.
The Secretary of State also highlighted a recent ministerial meeting hosted in Washington, saying representatives from 60 countries had joined discussions on combating politically motivated violence.
“Sixty countries came to Washington and were a part of an effort where we were shedding light on far left terror and violence,” Rubio said, adding that the administration hoped to build “a strong coalition” to confront such groups.
Turning to the Middle East, Rubio credited President Trump with advancing diplomatic engagement between Israel and Lebanon.
“The deal with Lebanon and Israel is unprecedented,” he said. “This is the first time the Israelis and the Lebanese government have spoken at the official level in close to 30 years.”
Rubio also welcomed what he described as progress towards the disarmament of Hamas.
“As you announced last night, Mr. President, this disarmament deal that you brought about… is another big step, as well. It’s something a lot of people thought would never happen,” he said.
He argued that the political landscape across Latin America had also shifted in Washington’s favour.
“For the first time in 15-20 years, the overwhelming majority of the countries in the Western Hemisphere are now led by pro-American leaders and pro-American governments,” Rubio said, calling it “an extraordinary achievement.”
Rubio concluded by praising the US response to the recent earthquake in Venezuela, saying American personnel had been deployed within 36 hours to provide humanitarian assistance.
“It is one of the fastest, most dramatic and most effective humanitarian responses, certainly in recent history, if not ever,” he said, crediting the President for directing the operation.
President Trump briefly intervened during Rubio’s remarks to clarify that the Secretary of State’s criticism of the ICC was not aimed at protecting him personally.
“He’s not trying to defend me. He is trying to defend Bibi and various other people,” Trump said. “There is no indication that I’m one of them at this moment.”
