BERKELEY -- The Berkeley City Council is considering signing on to an international lawsuit that seeks a war crimes investigation of top U.S. defense officials.

"We think it's important that our community go on record saying we don't support these extreme measures that this government has been taking," said Steve Freedkin, chair of the city's Peace & Justice Commission, which recommended that Berkeley join in the suit.

The resolution, scheduled for a vote Tuesday, would make Berkeley the first city to join the suit, filed last November in Berlin by lawyers for inmates of Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison and Guantanamo Bay.

The suit alleges former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld ordered and condoned torture. It also names 13 other U.S. officials.

The lawsuit was filed by the New York-based Center for Constitutional Rights under a German law allowing prosecution of war crimes no matter where they were committed. A Pentagon spokesman has said media reports suggest the suit is frivolous.

City Manager Phil Kamlarz is recommending that the council not pass the resolution, saying city staff do not have the resources to evaluate the merits of the complaint or determine if it would be incurring liability by joining as a co-complainant.

Freedkin has presented a letter from one of the attorneys in the suit saying no liability is attached to signing on.

Mayor Tom Bates has suggested that the council show its support for the effort by writing a letter but not taking legal steps to join the case. Freedkin said that would be an acceptable compromise.

Also on the agenda Tuesday are resolutions opposing military intervention in Iran, condemning human rights abuses in Haiti and opposing use of cluster bombs and other weapons. (Along with the international concerns are everyday issues such as taxes, audits and street safety.)

Freedkin said Berkeley's forays into foreign policy aren't as far-fetched as critics may say.

"We were crazy when we required that there be curb cuts so wheelchairs can get around and now that's the norm," he said. "We were far-out Berkeley when we started adopting environmental standards that are now becoming standard.

"We were crazy when we were opposed to this war right at the beginning," he added. "I think most Americans now realize that we have a serious problem with this administration's lawlessness and that someone has to say something."

On the Net: http://www.ci.berkeley.ca.us/citycouncil/