By Mike Wendling CNSNews.com London Bureau Chief March 26, 2003
London (CNSNews.com) - Belgian lawmakers are working to amend a law that could be used to indict President George W. Bush -- a law that already has been used to file a complaint against U.S. officials for alleged war crimes committed during the 1991 Gulf War.
A spokesman for the Belgian Foreign Ministry said the government believes the suit against former President George Bush and current Vice President Dick Cheney is frivolous. The government hopes that lawmakers can successfully amend the 1993 law that allows the Belgian courts to try war crimes committed outside of the country, the spokesman said.
Also named in the complaint filed last week are Secretary of State Colin Powell, who was chairman of the joint chiefs of staff in 1991, and retired Gen. Norman Schwartzkopf, who commanded the troops in Iraq. Cheney was defense secretary at the time of the first Gulf War.
"This type of action should be stopped," said Patrick Herman, deputy spokesman for the Foreign Ministry. "Our government has already said that it's completely unacceptable to have such an action."
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewForeignBureaus.asp?Page=\ForeignBureaus\archi ve\200303\FOR20030326c.html