Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
04AMMAN5522
2004-07-07 11:42:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Amman
how-toThis record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
UNCLAS AMMAN 005522
SIPDIS
STATE FOR NEA/ARN, NEA/PA, NEA/AIA, INR/NESA, R/MR,
I/GNEA, B/BXN, B/BRN, NEA/PPD, NEA/IPA FOR ALTERMAN
USAID/ANE/MEA
LONDON FOR GOLDRICH
PARIS FOR O'FRIEL
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KMDR JO
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ON SADDAM'S TRIAL
Summary
-- Lead story in all papers today, July 7, highlights
King Abdullah's renewal of confidence in the
government of Prime Minister Faisal Al-Fayez. Major
front-page reporting continues to focus on
developments in the West Bank and in Iraq.
Editorial Commentary
-- "Where justice is served"
Centrist, influential among the elite English daily
Jordan Times (07/07) editorializes: "The trial, in
the Hague, of former Yugoslav President Slobodan
Milosevic before the war crimes tribunal . appears to
be open-ended after dragging on for two years. The
latest round of delay is attributed to Milosevic's ill
health. Yet, even before this former leader fell ill,
the international legal process was too slow and too
lenient in passing sentences.. This casts a dark
shadow on international justice and makes one wonder
whether it was worth it to establish the International
Criminal Court (ICC) and rely on it to administer
justice. It would seem that reliance on national
court systems serves justice better; most probably,
these courts pass judgments at a faster pace and apply
sentences that are commensurate with the gravity of
the crimes committed. The Sierra Leone war crimes
tribunal could serve as a better model than its
counterparts in the Hague or the U.N.-created tribunal
on war crimes committed in Rwanda. Unlike the ICC,
the Arusha tribunal for Rwanda or the war crimes
tribunal for crimes committed in former Yugoslavia,
the Sierra Leone tribunal is situated right where the
crimes were committed. This makes the trials easier,
cheaper and more effective. This gives reason to
believe that the trial of former Iraqi President
Saddam Hussein and his high-ranking aides can be
better conducted, with evidence, provided that the
basic norms on a fair trial are observed. What makes
any trial fair and renders justice is strict
compliance with international standards on the
administration of criminal justice."
GNEHM
SIPDIS
STATE FOR NEA/ARN, NEA/PA, NEA/AIA, INR/NESA, R/MR,
I/GNEA, B/BXN, B/BRN, NEA/PPD, NEA/IPA FOR ALTERMAN
USAID/ANE/MEA
LONDON FOR GOLDRICH
PARIS FOR O'FRIEL
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KMDR JO
SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION ON SADDAM'S TRIAL
Summary
-- Lead story in all papers today, July 7, highlights
King Abdullah's renewal of confidence in the
government of Prime Minister Faisal Al-Fayez. Major
front-page reporting continues to focus on
developments in the West Bank and in Iraq.
Editorial Commentary
-- "Where justice is served"
Centrist, influential among the elite English daily
Jordan Times (07/07) editorializes: "The trial, in
the Hague, of former Yugoslav President Slobodan
Milosevic before the war crimes tribunal . appears to
be open-ended after dragging on for two years. The
latest round of delay is attributed to Milosevic's ill
health. Yet, even before this former leader fell ill,
the international legal process was too slow and too
lenient in passing sentences.. This casts a dark
shadow on international justice and makes one wonder
whether it was worth it to establish the International
Criminal Court (ICC) and rely on it to administer
justice. It would seem that reliance on national
court systems serves justice better; most probably,
these courts pass judgments at a faster pace and apply
sentences that are commensurate with the gravity of
the crimes committed. The Sierra Leone war crimes
tribunal could serve as a better model than its
counterparts in the Hague or the U.N.-created tribunal
on war crimes committed in Rwanda. Unlike the ICC,
the Arusha tribunal for Rwanda or the war crimes
tribunal for crimes committed in former Yugoslavia,
the Sierra Leone tribunal is situated right where the
crimes were committed. This makes the trials easier,
cheaper and more effective. This gives reason to
believe that the trial of former Iraqi President
Saddam Hussein and his high-ranking aides can be
better conducted, with evidence, provided that the
basic norms on a fair trial are observed. What makes
any trial fair and renders justice is strict
compliance with international standards on the
administration of criminal justice."
GNEHM