"The problem is that many countries, like the United States and Israel, do not work in the framework of the International Criminal Court, " Garcia-Margallo told journalists on the sidelines of a meeting between EU, Middle East and North African foreign ministers in Barcelona.
Garcia-Margallo added that he was going to promote this initiative at various meetings, as well as in the frame of the United Nations. In 2015-2016 Spain is a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.
The Minister said that this idea is a long-standing one. When it was announced for the first time in 1937, it got support of 19 countries, but came to a standstill amid the Second World War.
The Islamic State jihadist group operating in Syria and Iraq is actively recruiting foreigners to join its ranks. Authorities in Spain, which is a member of the US-led coalition currently fighting against ISIL militants, estimate that around 100 Spanish people have joined jihadist fighters in Iraq and Syria.
According to US intelligence officials, about 20,000 foreign fighters, including up to 4,000 Western Europeans, are believed to have joined ISIL over the past three years.
