United Nations: UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has termed the US move of seeking blanket exemption for its personnel from the purview of International Criminal Court (ICC) "wrong" and advised the Security Council against supporting the measure in the wake of alleged abuse of Iraqi prisoners involving American soldiers.

"The blanket exemption is wrong. It is of dubious value and I don't thing it should be encouraged by the (Security) Council," he said.

"Such a move would discredit the Council and the United Nations that stands for rule of law and the primacy of rule of law," he said.

In a forthright statement, Annan did not mince words to tell Washington that it would be "unwise" for it to press for immunity from potential prosecutions by the world's first permanent war crimes tribunal.

Annan's remarks Thursday (June 17, 2004) came during a press encounter as the United States was trying hard to find requisite nine votes the 15-member Council needs for adoption of the resolution for exemption moved by Washington last month.

After a contentious debate, the Council had first granted exemption to the United States in July 2002 when Washington threatened to pull out all its peacekeepers from UN mission unless the Council removes its personnel from the purview of ICC.