NEW DELHI, Dec. 26 (UPI) -- India and the United States Thursday signed a bilateral agreement not to hand over each other's nationals to a third country or to any international tribunal.
The agreement was signed by Indian Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal and the U.S. ambassador to India, Robert Blackwill.
The accord was "emblematic of the strides that continue to be made in transforming US-India relations," Blackwill said in a statement. "Both governments look forward to working in close cooperation on such significant issues."
The two nations have agreed to stand by each other if a third country or an international tribunal seeks the extradition of the other's nationals to be tried in multilateral forums such as the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice.
Neither will surrender people of the other country to any international tribunal without the other country's express consent.
"India and the U.S. share the strongest possible commitment to bringing to justice those who commit war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide," the U.S. envoy said.
"However, we are concerned about the ICC treaty with respect to the adequacy of checks and balances, the impact of the treaty on national sovereignty and the potential for conflict with the U.N. charter," he said.
