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WikiLeaks reveals John Bolton was pressing UAE to sign an agreement so that the US officials would not be held accountable for possible war crimes in Iraq

The WIKILEAKS Public Library of US Diplomacy (PlusD) holds the world's largest searchable collection of United States confidential, or formerly confidential, diplomatic communications. As of April 8, 2013 it holds 2 million records comprising approximately 1 billion words. The collection covers US involvements in, and diplomatic or intelligence reporting on, every country on earth. It is the single most significant body of geopolitical material ever published. The PlusD collection, built and curated by WikiLeaks, is updated from a variety of sources, including leaks, documents released under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and documents released by the US State Department systematic declassification review.


A cable from June 2003 reveals that Trump's current national security adviser, John Bolton, was pushing United Arab Emirates (UAE) to sign an agreement, in order to block the International Criminal Court (ICC) from persecuting US officials for possible war crimes in Iraq.

Key parts:

Security Assistance John R. Bolton urged the UAE to conclude a bilateral ICC Article 98 agreement (see septel for other topics). U/S Bolton provided an overview of USG progress made towards signing ICC Article 98 agreements, 45 of which have been concluded. U/S Bolton had signed the most recent one that morning with Kuwait.

He laid out the President's desire to see more agreements concluded, including one with the UAE, particularly in light of the potential for the unfair targeting of Americans and the fact that the ICC has recently begun operations. Bolton noted the ridiculous cases brought in Belgium against former President Bush, Secretary Powell and General Franks.

Full cable:




Meanwhile, current Trump administration exhibits its provocative contempt to the international law straight and open. As the Guardian reported:

The United States has announced it will revoke or deny visas to members of the International Criminal Court involved in investigating the actions of US troops in Afghanistan or other countries.

The US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, said Washington was prepared to take further steps, including economic sanctions, if the war crimes court goes ahead with any investigations of US or allied personnel.

“The ICC is attacking America’s rule of law,” Pompeo told reporters. “It’s not too late for the court to change course and we urge that it do so immediately.”

The United States has never joined the ICC, where a prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, asked judges in November 2017 for authorization to open an investigation into alleged war crimes in Afghanistan.

Pompeo’s announcement of visa restrictions was the first concrete action taken by the US against the ICC since the White House threatened reprisals against the Hague-based body in September.

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