LEBANON: FRENCH INSIST BRAMMERTZ MUST SUCCEED

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000346 SIPDIS SIPDIS S/WCI FOR WILLIAMSON, L/LEI FOR JOHNSON E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PTER UNSC FR SY LE SUBJECT: LEBANON: FRENCH INSIST BRAMMERTZ MUST SUCCEED CARLA DEL PONTE AS ICTY PROSECUTOR REF: BEIRUT 591 ¶1. (SBU) During a P-3 meeting on May 1 (septel),French PermRep de la Sabliere reported that UN International Independent Investigation Commission (UNIIIC) head Serge Brammertz has informed France that he will leave his current position on June 15, 2007 and return to the International Criminal Court (ICC) if the UN does not guarantee him a job elsewhere beforehand. Emphasizing repeatedly that "we cannot afford to let Brammertz go," de la Sabliere insisted that the "only" solution would be to appoint Brammertz to succeed Carla del Ponte as Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY). (Note: del Ponte leaves in September. End Note.) de la Sabliere said that SYG Ban had approved this idea, following French lobbying. ¶2. (SBU) Noting that there are other candidates for the ICTY position, including del Ponte's current deputy (whom de la Sabliere acknowledged is American),Ambassador Khalilzad said we would have to study the issue. UK PermRep Jones-Parry agreed that we should consider Brammertz's future but objected to the idea that the Council could be "blackmailed" into guaranteeing Brammertz an onward assignment in order to secure his future at UNIIIC. UK DPR Pierce added that she was not sure the ICC wanted Brammertz back. Subsequently, the French Mission Lebanon expert told Poloff that France would soon demarche Washington at a high-level to encourage support for Brammertz's candidacy. KHALILZAD