Facing global opposition fuelled by the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal, Washington has dropped a contentious UN resolution that sought to renew an exemption shielding US troops from international prosecution for war crimes.

The existence of the world’s first permanent war crimes tribunal was threatened today as the United States made clear its opposition to the project.

The world’s first permanent war crimes court came into force today and Dutch administrators overseeing its initial months of operation are ready to register claims of genocide and wartime atrocities.

After dramatically vetoing a resolution to extend UN peacekeeping in Bosnia, the US agreed to a 72-hour extension to try to find a solution to its demand that its peacekeepers be exempt from prosecution by the new international war crimes tribunal.