Rodney Hunter
Political Coordinator
U.S. Mission to the United Nations
New York, New York
September 15, 2020
AS DELIVERED
Thank you, Mr. President.
The United States commends the penholders for the cooperative spirit in which they led this process, and specifically to both the ambassadors for your personal commitment, and your teams’ personal commitment, to the future of Afghanistan. Thank you both.
The United States remains deeply committed to Afghanistan and to SRSG Lyons’ work and leadership at UNAMA.
As the mission sustains support to the people of Afghanistan during this pivotal period in the country’s history, and as the parties embark upon peace negotiations on a political solution to end the conflict, the United States supports the objectives of promoting accountability in Afghanistan and addressing Afghanistan’s legacy of large-scale human rights violations and abuses. Of course, we would have serious concerns if, contrary to our understanding, UNAMA were to interpret this resolution to mandate UNAMA to support the ICC’s illegitimate investigation against U.S. personnel.
The United States reiterates that it is not a party to the Rome Statute and has consistently rejected ICC assertions of jurisdiction over U.S. personnel. We will not tolerate any attempts to subject Americans to the ICC’s jurisdiction. The United States remains committed to the promotion of accountability, but the ICC and parties to the Rome Statute must respect the decisions of the United States and other countries not subject their personnel to the ICC’s jurisdiction, consistent with their respective sovereign prerogatives.
Thank you, Mr. President.
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