Identifier | Created | Classification | Origin |
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07FREETOWN615 | 2007-10-11 16:19:00 | CONFIDENTIAL | Embassy Freetown |
VZCZCXRO7142 OO RUEHPA DE RUEHFN #0615/01 2841619 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 111619Z OCT 07 FM AMEMBASSY FREETOWN TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1446 INFO RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 0256 RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE RUEHCP/AMEMBASSY COPENHAGEN 0010 RUEHDL/AMEMBASSY DUBLIN 0023 RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 0261 RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO 0007 RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA 0022 RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0213 RUEHSM/AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM 0008 RUEHTC/AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE 0077 |
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 FREETOWN 000615 |
1. (C) Summary and action request: In a meeting with Ambassador and emboffs on October 10, Prosecutor for the Special Court for Sierra Leone, Stephen Rapp, reviewed the budget and timeline for the Special Court. Rapp expects that the court will require at least an additional $49 million to continue its work through 2009, but he added that at the current rate of progress the court may have to continue its work into 2010. His projections are that the total cost of the Court will be in the range of $200 million to prosecute 13 indictees during an eight year period. Rapp explained that he has been in contact with a number of donor governments to seek additional contributions for the court. He suggested that the U.S. government could contact other donor governments. The Ambassador stressed that it is important to show progress in the work of the Court. Embassy suggests the Department continue efforts to coordinate with other donors to identify funding for the Court's work, while recognizing the need to encourage the Court to wrap up its work in a timely manner. End summary. 2. (C) On October 10, Ambassador Perry, DCM and poloff met with Stephen Rapp, Prosecutor for the Special Court for Sierra Leone, and Jeremy Waiser, Special Assistant to the Prosecutor. Rapp provided an overview of the work of the court and its current funding needs. He explained that since its establishment in 2002, the Court has indicted 13 individuals, and tried 10 cases. (Two individuals died in custody, and one has yet to be located.) Rapp noted that the work of the Court has been slower than some had hoped, and explained that turnover of personnel and health problems had played a part in this. In some cases, the entire prosecution team had turned over between the commencement of the case and the conclusion. Rapp explained that some recent actions may help to speed the work of the Court, notably since last month Judges on the Appeals Court are working full time rather than part time. 3. (C) Ambassador Perry said that while there is widespread goodwill of the Court in the U.S. and support on the Hill, it is important to demonstrate that progress is being made. Budget limitations meant that funding for the court comes at the expense of other programs in Sierra Leone and Africa. It appears that 40 per cent of the funding for the Court has come from the U.S. 4.(C) Addressing the question of financing the work of the court, Rapp provided a copy of the Court's completion budget summary (Copy will be emailed to AF/W). Projections in summary are that the court will need $36 million in 2007, $33 million in 2008 and $20 million in 2009. Of this total requirement of $89 million, donors have provided about $40 million (including a recent US contribution of $13 million), but $49 million is still needed. Rapp allowed that at the current rate of work, the Court may have to continue into 2010. 5. (C) The Prosecutor said that he has been meeting with donor governments, including the French, Danes, Norwegians and others in an effort to secure more funding. He had been hopeful that the new French government would be more forthcoming, but it appears France will contribute only Euros 500,000. The Danish government had responded that it would like to move on to other projects, but Rapp is hopeful of getting an increased contribution. In meeting with the German government, Rapp said that he had argued that now that Japan has joined the ICC, Germany could divert some of its spending on international justice to the Sierra Leone Court. The Prosecutor said he would like to get more cooperation from African countries including Nigeria, and mentioned that he was open to the idea of using assets recovered from Charles Taylor to cover costs of Taylor's defense or to compensate victims. Rapp suggested it would be helpful to have the U.S. continue to coordinate and work with other partners to fund the Court. 6. (C) The Prosecutor said that the Charles Taylor case is likely to run into 2010, given that 12 to 18 months will be needed to present evidence and that appeals are likely after FREETOWN 00000615 002 OF 002 that. He noted that the cost of Taylor's defense is costing about $100,000 per month. Rapp justified the cost of the court by noting that public perceptions of the Court is very positive in Sierra Leone. He admitted that the court is seen less favorably in Liberia, and observed that among the donor community, "those who know the Court the best are often the most critical." 7. (C) Comment: Embassy believes that coordination with other donors has merit, and such coordination offers an opportunity to present the Court with a unified message that the Court should wrap up its work in a timely manner, limiting expenditures where possible. End comment. PERRY |