Rumsfeld Skips Munich Security Conference
{{missing image|Image:Rumsfeld portrait.jpg|right|thumb|124px|U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld}}
{{Byline|date=January 25, 2005|location=THE PENTAGON, Washington DC}}
The [[U.S.]] Defense Secretary {{w|Donald Rumsfeld}} will not attend high-profile talks on international defense policy at the Munich Security Conference claiming prior commitments. Rumsfeld will send Douglas J. Feith, the Undersecretary of Defense, instead, to discuss such items as the [[E.U.]] and U.S. stances on [[Iran]].

Rumsfeld previously stated that he would not attend the conference unless [[Germany]] voided a complaint from the New York-based {{w|Center for Constitutional Rights}}, asking German authorities to prosecute him for {{w|war crime|war crimes}}. The group filed the complaint last December with the Federal German Prosecutor's Office, accusing Rumsfeld of war crimes and torture in connection with {{w|Iraq}}'s {{w|Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse|Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse}}.

German legislation allows prosecution for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide regardless of where the crime occurred or of the nationality of the accused.

==Sources==
*{{source|url=http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1465263,00.html |title=Rumsfeld to Bypass Munich Conference |author=|pub=Deutsche Welle |date=21 January 2005}}
*{{source|url=http://www.washtimes.com/upi-breaking/20050124-112313-6280r.htm |title=UPI Hears... |author=|pub=The Washington Times |date=24 January 2005}}
==External links==
* [http://www.securityconference.de Munich Security Conference]

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[[Category:United States]]
[[Category:Politics and conflicts]]
[[Category:Donald Rumsfeld]]
[[Category:North America]]
[[Category:Germany]]
[[Category:Europe]]
[[Category:European Union]]
[[Category:Iran]]
[[Category:Middle East]]
The U.S. Defense Secretary  will not attend high-profile talks on international defense policy at the Munich Security Conference claiming prior commitments. Rumsfeld will send Douglas J. Feith, the Undersecretary of Defense, instead, to discuss such items as the E.U. and U.S. stances on Iran.

Rumsfeld previously stated that he would not attend the conference unless Germany voided a complaint from the New York-based war crime|war crimes. The group filed the complaint last December with the Federal German Prosecutor's Office, accusing Rumsfeld of war crimes and torture in connection with Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse|Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse.

German legislation allows prosecution for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide regardless of where the crime occurred or of the nationality of the accused.
United States Politics and conflicts Donald Rumsfeld North America Germany Europe European Union Iran Middle East