ICTY: DEMARCHE ON BEHALF OF MERON CANDIDACY

UNCLAS THE HAGUE 002711 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR S/WCI - PROSPER/RICHARD, EUR - STEPHENS; EUR/SCE - GREGORIAN/MITCHELL, L - PELOFSKY/OSBORN/LAHNE/GTAFT, USUN FOR ROSTOW/WILLSON/ROSAND/DUGAN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: BK HR KAWC NL PHUM PREL SR ICTY SUBJECT: ICTY: DEMARCHE ON BEHALF OF MERON CANDIDACY REF: STATE 218465 (SBU) Embassy Legal and Political officers delivered reftel demarche to Klaas van der Tempel, Head of the Western Balkans Division at the MFA, and Michiel Bierkens, senior policy advisor in the same division, on October 19. Both van der Tempel and Bierkens expressed strong satisfaction with President Meron's tenure at the ICTY and were only positive in their remarks about his candidacy. They will consult with the MFA United Nations division but do not expect any barriers to supporting Meron's re-election. Van der Tempel noted that the Dutch have renominated Judge Alphonsus Martinus Maria Orie and hope that he will have the USG's support as well, but he did not make any comments about which nominees the Dutch government will be supporting overall. SOBEL