For the first time in nearly eight years, the United States will participate in a conference with members of the International Criminal Court, a decision that signals growing U.S. support for a war-crimes tribunal that the Bush administration once shunned.
Stephen Rapp, the U.S. ambassador at large for war crimes, told reporters in Nairobi on Monday that the “United States will return to engagement with the ICC.” But he said the United States has no intention of joining the court in the foreseeable future and that it will not allow an international prosecutor to try American personnel.
Still, the decision marked a significant step by the Obama administration in showing its willingness to engage with the rest of the world on difficult negotiations, according to court supporters.
