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Universal Jurisdiction: Will the British Government Ever Act?

(Jewish Chronicle-UK) Martin Bright and Stephen Pollard - Legislation to prevent magistrates issuing arrest warrants for high-profile foreign visitors accused of war crimes has been delayed because it is still awaiting a decision from Prime Minister Gordon Brown. At the same time, Downing Street sources said Justice Secretary Jack Straw is still dragging his feet over the issue. Straw is known to be highly sensitive to the views of his Muslim constituents in Blackburn and is close to the Muslim Council of Britain, which opposes a change to the law. Shadow Middle East minister David Lidington said, "It is very clear to me that this issue is doing serious damage to relations with Israel. This needs to be resolved. If we hope to play a part in the Middle East peace process, senior Israelis need to know they can travel freely in the UK." Foreign Secretary David Miliband announced his intention to change the law on "universal jurisdiction" late last year, but according to a highly placed source, the Justice Secretary is "pulling every trick in the book" to frustrate moves to deal with it. The source said: "Every time a deal seems close to being done, Jack finds another 'obstacle.' He is the block. Without him this would have been dealt with weeks ago."
2010-02-01 10:00:23
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