FILE PHOTO: The entrance of the International Criminal Court (ICC) is seen in The Hague, Netherlands March 3, 2011. REUTERS/Jerry Lampen/File Photo

PARIS (Reuters) - France on Tuesday said the International Criminal Court should be able to do its work without hindrance, a day after the United States threatened sanctions if the tribunal investigated U.S. activities in Afghanistan.

“France, with its European partners, supports the International Criminal Court, both in its budgetary contribution and in its cooperation with it,” Foreign ministry spokeswoman Agnes von der Muhll said in a statement.

“The court must be able to act and exercise its prerogatives without hindrance, independently and impartially, within the legal framework defined by the Rome Statute,” it said.