Identifier | Created | Classification | Origin |
---|---|---|---|
07BEIRUT963 | 2007-06-28 15:09:00 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Beirut |
VZCZCXRO8562 OO RUEHAG RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHROV DE RUEHLB #0963/01 1791509 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 281509Z JUN 07 FM AMEMBASSY BEIRUT TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8639 INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 1375 RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO PRIORITY 1287 RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY |
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIRUT 000963 |
1. (C) Justice Minister Charles Rizk provided Ambassador on June 28, 2007 with a list of names of twelve Lebanese judges the GOL intends to nominate to the UN for selection for the four seats on Special Tribunal. He said all twelve have agreed to have their names put forward. The GOL has its preferred four nominees. Rizk indicated those on the list he gave the Ambassador and the GOL will discreetly inform UN Legal Advisor Michel. The four include a Sunni, a Maronite Christian, a Greek Catholic and a Greek Orthodox. Rizk also gave the Ambassador the names of the GOL's two nominees for the one Deputy Prosecutor position; it has no preference which of the two the UN selects. One is a Sunni and one a Maronite, so if the UN were concerned about confessional balance among the preferred judges, it could select a deputy prosecutor to correct that. 2. (C) Rizk said the two lists now go to PM Siniora, who is out of the country and expected to approve them when he returns, and then on to the UN. 3. (C) Below are the names of the nominees (Note: strictly protect. These persons are at risk of being threatened or assassinated for agreeing to act as Tribunal judges). The four preferred nominees are: Mr. Ralf Riachi Mr. Choucri Sader Mr. Akram Baassiri Mr. Saad Jabbour The eight other nominees are: Mr. Afif Chamseddine Mr. Samir Alieh Mr. Joseph Maamari Mr. Nadim Abdelmalak Mr. Walid El-Akoum Mr. Tannous Mechleb Mme. Micheline Braidi Mr. Ali Ibrahim The two nominees for deputy prosecutor are: Jocelyn Tabet, Maronite Ghassan Oueidat, Sunni 4. (C) Comment: While the Lebanese did not move quite as quickly in completing their lists as Rizk promised IO A/S Silverberg at the beginning of June, it is still good news that the Higher Judicial Council has made its recommendations for the judges and that Rizk has made his recommendations regarding the deputy prosecutor. When PM Siniora returns to Lebanon from abroad, we will push on what is presumably an open door to get these lists forwarded to New York ASAP. Regarding the judges, Ralf Riachi and Choucri Sadr, presumably, are shoe-ins for the UN. According to all reports we have heard, they forged extremely good relations with UN/OLA chief Nicolas Michel during the negotiations of the statutes for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. We do not know the other two judges on the preferred list, but Rizk assured us that they are highly reputable. As for the proposed candidates for the deputy prosecutor slot, both Tabet and Oueidat are well regarded in legal circles. Tabet, we note, is very close personally to Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Elias Murr (who, of course, is one of the victims of the assassination attempts, having survived a car bomb on July 12, 2005). 5. (C) Comment, continued: As noted above, it is important to keep these names confidential, to lower the security risks against the candidates. We hope that Sadr and Riachi are already keeping a low profile, since it is a common assumption that will be nominated. In a sad commentary on the current security situation in Lebanon, Riachi told us recently that, as an unmarried bachelor with no children and no close relatives in Lebanon, he is more dispensible than judges with family obligations -- and thus Riachi concludes that he is an easy choice for the risks associated with the tribunal. FELTMAN |