From MaltaMedia.com

Malta in trouble with the USA
written by MM News - 2 Jul, 2003

The United States is punishing some 50 countries, including Malta, for not signing an agreement exempting American military and other personnel from prosecution in the International Criminal Court. Malta and the other countries are now ineligible for US military aid.

The countries also include Colombia, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Slovenia. These last six are set to join NATO next year. Countries that recognize the ICC had up to Tuesday to sign the "Article 98 agreement". Those who failed to do so, including Malta, will now face a cut in military training funds and help with arms purchases from the US.

State Department spokesman Richard Boucher explained how the new restrictions involve 47 million dollars in foreign military financing and 613,000 dollars in military education and training.

Boucher added that 35 of these countries have been receiving US military aid, but most of the money has already been spent for this fiscal year. So these countries must sign the agreement before the new fiscal year begins in October. Otherwise, they will face a ban on aid for fiscal year 2004.

These measures fall under the 2002 American Service Members Protection Act, passed to reflect US opposition to the war crimes court amid fears of potentially politically motivated prosecution of US personnel.

Other countries that are now ineligible for US military are Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Brazil, Central African Republic, Costa Rica, Croatia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Fiji, Lesotho, Malawi, Mali, Namibia, Niger, Paraguay, Peru, Serbia and Montenegro, Samoa, South Africa, St. Vincent and Grenadines, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela and Zambia.

"As we proceed with this, we'll look at individual programs as well and decide whether they need waivers," Boucher said. "But our hope is to continue to work with governments to secure and ratify Article 98
agreements that protect American service members."

All NATO allies are exempt from the new regulations, as are what the US considers "major non-NATO allies", including Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Egypt, Israel, Japan, Jordan, New Zealand and South Korea.

US President George W. Bush has also issued waivers for 22 other countries, some of which have signed, but not ratified, an agreement.

The US said it will still press countries that have not yet signed the agreement to sign it.