St. Lca: Kramer vows to address ICC issues

The U.S. is pressuring Caribbean countries who won't withhold American military personnel from prosecution in the ICC to which the U.S. is not signatory. On the one hand, Caribbean countries don't want to be pressured by the U.S., and on the other hand they need U.S. money to fight drugs and terrorism. The U.S. also needs these Caribbean countries to serve as a line of defense in the war against drugs and terrorism, which seem to go hand in hand; however, the U.S., rightly so, cannot submit its soldiers to the ICC, which would quickly be perverted to become another anti-U.S. U.N. organization.

New US Ambassador to the Eastern Caribbean Mary Kramer has given her commitment to resolving a disagreement between the United States and the countries of the region over a US decision to have its uniformed personnel legible to prosecution only by US authorities even if they commit illegal acts outside US jurisdiction.

The US position has caused a rift between the super power and the tiny countries of the Caribbean region. The countries which do not accept the US position has since been black listed by the US in terms of it provision of military support mainly for the fight against drugs and terrorism. The new US ambassador believes the situation as it stands now has affected the long standing relationship between the US and the region in the fight against drugs mainly. But she says the region must understand the why the US has taken the position.