Prime Minister Rob Jetten has warned that reaching an agreement with the United States over the announced sanctions against the International Criminal Court (ICC) will not be easy.
There are six months to find a solution. Jetten described the period ahead as “six very tense months, the outcome of which is still uncertain”, during a debate in the House of Representatives.
A “few countries” have taken the lead in drawing up “possible proposals for improvement”, Jetten said. He did not provide further details.
However, the prime minister made clear that talks with the US would be difficult. “It will not be easy to reach an agreement on this. That is also the reality,” he said.
SP MP Sarah Dobbe asked Jetten to guarantee that the Netherlands would make no concessions to the US. Jetten stressed that the Rome Statute enshrines the independence of the ICC.
As the host country, the Netherlands will ensure that the ICC can continue to operate, he said. Meanwhile, the EU is preparing measures in case the talks fail and countermeasures are needed.
@anp | NEWS BRAINPORT
