June 27, 2002	Thursday	Rabi-us-Sani 15, 1423

BRUSSELS, June 26: Palestinian hopes of putting Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on trial in Belgium for war crimes were derailed on Wednesday when judges declared the case inadmissible.

The indictment chamber of the Brussels appeals court ruled that the case — lodged a year ago — could not proceed because Sharon was not in Belgium.

Twenty-three Palestinians wanted Sharon to be tried in Belgium for his role in the September 1982 massacres of Palestinians at the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps, perpetrated by Israeli-allied Christian militia during Israel’s invasion of Lebanon.

They based their case on a “universal competence” law that enables Belgian courts to try cases of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, regardless of where the outrages took place.

Summing up Wednesday’s ruling, court spokesman Guy Delvoie said: “The Belgian courts have competence with regards to cases that concern serious violations of human rights.”

“But for cases based on universal competence ... it is necessary that the alleged perpetrators be in the territory of the kingdom (of Belgium). Otherwise they are inadmissible,” he said.—AFP