Kenya asks U.N. Security Council to end Hague case against president

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Kenya has asked the U.N. Security Council to end International Criminal Court proceedings against President Uhuru Kenyatta and others, but council diplomats who discussed the request on Thursday said the 15-member body could not stop the case.

The Security Council is only able to defer International Criminal Court proceedings for one year under article 16 of the Rome Statute, which established the Hague-based court a decade ago. The council would need to adopt a resolution to do that.

"The letter from the Kenyans is slightly bizarre because they are actually asking the Security Council to do something that it has no authority to do," said a senior council diplomat, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto were among six suspects initially charged by ICC prosecutors with orchestrating tribal violence after the 2007 election, when some 1,200 people were killed. Kenyatta and Ruto both deny the charges.

In a letter to the Security Council, Kenya said the implications of Kenyatta's trial "for the viability and continuity of the state should be self evident." Kenyatta's trial is due to start in July.

"What this delegation is asking for is not deferral. What this delegation is asking for is the immediate termination of the case at the Hague without much further ado," Kenya wrote to the Security Council.

The Security Council discussed the request on Thursday. The senior council diplomat said it was unlikely there would be "widespread support" for deferring the proceedings against Kenyatta - who was elected in March - for a year.

The International Criminal Court on Monday postponed the trial of Ruto on charges of crimes against humanity, saying it wanted to hold further hearings with the prosecution and the defense. Ruto asked the ICC last month to postpone the start of the trial to give his legal team more time to prepare.

(Reporting by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Peter Cooney)

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The Council on Alcohol and Drugs and Georgia Law Enforcement Launch Statewide "Operation Drug Drop Off" Campaign

ATLANTA, April 17, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), "One person dies every 19 minutes from prescription drug abuse in the United States." Many experts in the field of prescription (Rx) and over-the-counter (OTC) drug abuse prevention believe the number of deaths from these drugs will decrease as a result of communities having a safe and convenient way to dispose of leftover Rx and OTC drugs.

In response to the growing demand and need for a safe and convenient way to dispose of leftover Rx and OTC drugs, The Council on Alcohol and Drugs (The Council) has donated a drug drop box in virtually every county in the state that requested one (128 counties to date). Georgia now has more law enforcement-maintained drug drop boxes than any other state in the country. The name of the campaign is "Operation Drug Drop Off." The Council has also launched an associated statewide Drug Drop Box Media Campaign to publicize the presence of these boxes.

The goals of this program are to keep Rx and OTC drugs from getting into the hands of children and grandchildren, to keep them off the street, and to prevent overdoses and accidental poisonings. At the same time the Campaign also allows citizens to dispose of their out of date and unwanted Rx and OTC drugs safely and securely, avoiding environmental contamination via improper disposal methods.

Items that can be placed in these secure drug drop boxes include expired and unused Rx drugs (non-narcotics and narcotics) and OTC drugs, medication samples, medicated ointment/lotion, drops, inhalers, unopened epi-pens, herbals, and veterinary medications. Items that should not be placed in the boxes include needles or sharps, biohazard materials, and illegal drugs.

Georgia citizens can locate their closest drug drop box location by visiting this website: www.StopRxAbuseinGA.org. For additional information or questions concerning Operation Drug Drop Off, please contact John Bringuel, MA, ICPS, at (404) 223-2484 or email Mr. Bringuel at jbringuel@livedrugfree.org.

For more information on preventing alcohol and drug abuse please visit, www.livedrugfree.org.

SOURCE The Council on Alcohol and Drugs

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