'Of course not': Germany rejects Trump's call for nations to quit ICC

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has firmly rejected a call by US President Donald Trump for nations to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), reported dpa.

"We will, of course, not be doing that," Wadephul told Germany's Deutschlandfunk radio station in comments broadcast on Wednesday, describing the court as "an important institution."

Trump called on the international community to withdraw en masse from the ICC in a speech at the UN General Debate on Tuesday.

The US does not recognize the ICC and has been increasingly imposing sanctions against the court and its representatives.

"To be honest, I don’t really understand this appeal," Wadephul said, describing the issue as "one of the areas where we do indeed have to acknowledge a regrettable difference in policy from the US administration."

Germany's top diplomat went on to say that the court was "part of the rules-based order that our world has established for itself. It is part of the history of our civilization.

"It is an expression of the separation of powers, the rule of law and also the enforcement of humanity. And that is why it is perfectly clear that we stand by the International Criminal Court."

The ICC is under heavy pressure from Washington mainly because of an arrest warrant issued against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the Gaza war.

Based in The Hague, the ICC has prosecuted the most serious crimes such as genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity since 2002.

The court only intervenes when the states concerned refuse to conduct investigations themselves or are unable to do so.

The ICC has 125 member states. Besides the US, Israel, Russia and Turkey are among the countries that do not recognize the court.