SANTIAGO, Chile, March 12 (UPI) -- U.S. officials may look for ways to resume military aid to Latin American nations who failed to exempt U.S. citizens from International Criminal Court.
Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, traveling in Chile, told reporters that eliminating or reducing military assistance to countries like Chile and Bolivia that are seeking to combat terrorism or drug trafficking is "sort of the same as shooting ourselves in the foot," The New York Times reported.
A law enacted by Congress required the cutoff of military aid to countries that did not exempt U.S. citizens from being brought before the court. At least 30 countries have declined to enact an exemption, including 12 in Latin America and the Caribbean, the newspaper said.
The law allows U.S. President George Bush to waive the cut off of military assistance, but State Department officials said the administration was concerned that if some waivers were granted, other countries would demand them as well, the Times said.
