The government has downplayed the United States' suspension of R50-million in military aid to South Africa ahead of a landmark visit by US President George Bush next week, but analysts say the move is "tantamount to military sanctions" and adds to the list of contentious issues between President Thabo Mbeki and the American leader.

In a move to put the squeeze on countries that were not co-operating with Washington's bid to sidestep the International Criminal Court (ICC), the US announced late on Tuesday night that it was suspending $47-million in military aid to 35 countries that were refusing to give Americans immunity from prosecution by the tribunal.

Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister Aziz Pahad said on Wednesday that the decision would not adversely affect Bush's visit since South Africa had known well in advance about the July 1 US deadline to sign article 98 of its American Service Members Protection Act of 2002.

This matter is in the process of discussion and it will not have an impact on the visit.

"It is one of the issues that will be on the agenda when the (Bush) delegation comes," Pahad told a news conference in Pretoria.

But Pahad's estimates of the aid, which he put at about $3-million, contrasted sharply with official figures given to the Cape Times by the defence ministry.

Sam Mkhwanazi, spokesperson for Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota, put the aid figure at $7,6-million, more than double Pahad's estimate.

Political analyst Chris Landsberg said that while the US sanctions were clearly "not targeted at SA", they underscored the uneasy relationship between the world's superpower and South Africa, a regional powerhouse.

South Africa knew it had to relate to the US as the global superpower, while the US in turn knew that "even if it wanted to find a substitute for SA as a pivotal regional player, it cannot find that alternative, so they have to relate to each other.

"Both South Africa and the US would like a more problem-free basis for their relationship, but this is tantamount to military sanctions and it shows that the US wants to relate to other global players, but only on its terms," said Landsberg.

"America is so carried away with its global power, it just doesn't know how to respect others."

The US fears that the ICC - which will try cases of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide - would be used for politically-motivated prosecutions of US citizens.

It therefore came up with Article 98 to compel countries to agree to exempt the US from the ICC. If countries refused to sign, they forfeit military assistance from the US.

South Africa is the only country on the itinerary for Bush's Africa visit that has not signed the exemption. Botswana, Senegal, Nigeria and Uganda have all retained military assistance by signing it.

Pahad said some countries had negotiated for waivers and exemption from signing by holding bilateral talks with the US.

Pahad said the cabinet had not yet discussed the matter, but Foreign Affairs Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma had indicated to parliament that under its obligations to the ICC, South Africa could not sign.

South Africa was looking at ways to tackle the concerns raised by the US. However, a clearer understanding of the way forward would emerge from the meeting between Dlamini-Zuma and her US counterpart Colin Powell.

Landsberg said that while there were significant irritants in the relationship between SA and the US - the invasion of Iraq and the crisis in Zimbabwe, among others - there would be "a lot of egg-dancing" between Mbeki and Bush.

"They won't say nasty things in front of each other, they'll say them when it's all done," he said.

Nobel peace laureate and former US president Jimmy Carter and Spanish judge Baltasar Garzon said on Wednesday that they supported the international war crimes court, despite Washington's decision to suspend military aid to countries that do not exempt US citizens from prosecution.

The support from Carter and Garzon, who led international efforts to prosecute former Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet for war crimes, came on the first anniversary of the ICC's existence.

"It is my hope that as the court begins its work, the sight of mass murderers and others being held accountable will send a strong message to the United States about the power of law and collective international action," Carter wrote in a letter published on Wednesday.

The high-profile Garzon said "sooner or later countries such as the United States will realise that the best option for peace is the ICC and they will join our ranks".

The European Commission expressed regret on Wednesday at the US decision to suspend military aid.

"We regret what the United States is doing," said a spokesperson for External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten.

He added that at least 90 countries had resisted United States "pressure" over the ICC.

"We want as well to express our admiration" for all the countries seeking to make the fledgling tribunal an "international success", he said.

The European Union (EU) strongly backs The Hague-based court, the world's first permanent international tribunal to try cases of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

European countries preparing to join the EU said on Wednesday that they would continue to back the newly created ICC despite the US decision to slash their military aid.

"We regret that the American Congress has taken this decision but the position of Slovakia has not changed," Slovakian Foreign Minister Eduard Kukan said.

Six countries set to join the EU in 2004 - Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Slovakia and Slovenia - have been targeted by the sanctions.

Bulgaria, which hopes to join the 15-nation bloc in 2007, is also on the sanctions list.

With acknowledgements to Jeremy Michaels, Charles Phalane, Sapa and the Cape Times.