Cablegate: Lebanon Tribunal - Progress Report

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PP RUEHWEB

DE RUCNDT #0780 2641604
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 211604Z SEP 07
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2633
INFO RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT PRIORITY 1156
RUEHTC/AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE PRIORITY 8929

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000780

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KCRM KJUS LE PREL SY
SUBJECT: LEBANON TRIBUNAL - PROGRESS REPORT

REF: WILLSON-REINEMEYER 9/17/07 EMAIL

1. USUN Legal Adviser spoke with UN Assistant Secretary
General for Legal Affairs, Larry Johnson, September 18, about
progress on the appointment of a Prosecutor and Judges for
the Lebanon Tribunal. He confirmed that UN Legal Counsel
Nicolas Michel has interviewed some prospects for the
Prosecutor's job. Johnson also said that UN Independent
International Investigations Commissioner Serge Brammertz is
currently in Hong Kong at a meeting of Prosecutors and will
be on the lookout for new names to add to the list.

2. The UN Legal Office (OLA) has given the Secretary General
four nominees for the panel which will select the Prosecutor
and Judges. The Secretary General is to choose two of the
four to serve with Michel on the panel. The panel candidates
are people with experience as judges on the Rwanda Tribunal
(ICTR), Yugoslav Tribunal (ICTY) or International Court of
Justice (ICJ). The panel will convene in the middle to end
of October to make their selections. In addition to the
Prosecutor, they must choose seven (7) international and four
(4) Lebanese judges. Although OLA has sufficient Lebanese
nominees, they have received only four nominees for
international judges.

3. The UN is anxious to select the Prosecutor so that he or
she will have two months overlap with Brammertz before
January 1, when the new Prosecutor would begin work at the
Commission. The UN also plans to convene the Tribunal's
Management Committee soon so that it can begin discussion of
terms and conditions of employment of the staff and other
details that will be needed to get the court up and running.
USG Michel reported to the Council on September 19 and a
report on his briefing will be provided shortly (septel).

KHALILZAD

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