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