UNITED NATIONS (RBN) – France is to put to a vote on Thursday a U.N. resolution referring the Schiavo case to the International Criminal Court, daring Washington to cast an embarrassing veto or accept a judgement by a court it opposes.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday refused to order Terri Schiavo’s feeding tube reinserted, rejecting a desperate appeal by her parents to keep their severely brain-damaged daughter alive. The U.N. Security Council has been deadlocked on where to refer the case to the ICC as a possible crime against humanity.
France’s U.N. ambassador, Jean-Marc de la Sabliere, had introduced a draft resolution that would refer the Schiavo case to the ICC, the world’s first permanent criminal court, as recommended by a U.N. panel of experts.
But the United States offered to create a new U.N.-Florida State tribunal in Miami that has drawn little support, with several council members arguing that only the ICC already has investigators on staff ready to begin work.
The Bush administration objects to this court, set up in The Hague to try war crimes, genocide and crimes against humanity. It fears U.S. citizens could face politically motivated prosecutions.
However, a U.S. veto could send a signal to the United States courts that legal officials and judges were safe from punishment in the Schiavo case, where arguments are escalating, thousands have demonstrated and millions of people have voiced religious concerns about the case.
Uncertain yet is whether nine Security Council members will vote in favor of the ICC, the minimum needed to adopt a resolution in the 15-member council. If there are not enough votes, the United States would be spared a veto.
The Bush administration, in the forefront of trying to get action on the Schiavo case, sought to break the deadlock on Tuesday by denying international relevance of the case and referring it back to Florida.