SCSL MEETINGS: NEW HOPE FOR IMPROVED RELATIONS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 FREETOWN 000062 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR S/WCI WILLIAMSON/GOREY, AF/W OKEDIJI USUN NEW YORK FOR HILLMAN E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/14/2018 TAGS: PGOV PREL KAWC KJUS UNSC SL SUBJECT: SCSL MEETINGS: NEW HOPE FOR IMPROVED RELATIONS REF: FREETOWN 42 Classified By: Ambassador June Carter Perry for reasons 1.4(b) and (d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Ambassador and Poloff met with Honorable Justice George Galaga King, President of the Special Court of Sierra Leone (SCSL),and with Herman von Hebel and Binta Mansaray, Registrar and Deputy Registrar of the SCSL, respectively, on separate occasioQon February 7. While the SCSL representatives, focused on providing further assurances that the leaders at the Court are aware of concerns regarding efficiency and internal communications breakdowns, they also provided a valuable opportunity for Ambassador to reiterate the message that the USG is committed to supporting the work of the Court, but that in making that good faith pledge, the Court has an obligation to the U.S. and other donors in terms of accountability and efficiency. END SUMMARY ¶2. (C) Ambassador Perry received the President, Registrar, and Deputy Registrar for separate courtesy visits on February ¶7. Justice King expressed gratitude for the USG contribution to the SCSL, and his hopes that donor fatigue will not prevent their important work from its completion. Ambassador assured Justice King that the U.S. has no interest in ending support prematurely, but did state the she looks forward to working with the Government of Sierra Leone and its people on addressing economic and social issues outside the Court. The good work of the Special Court, in Ambassador,s view, could be a stepping-stone to increased interest in the country, and it will be important to capitalize on that interest to focus on issues that impact the short-term and long-term development of the country. Justice King, a Sierra Leonean, was receptive to this discussion, and indicated that he will be vocal with his many government contacts about supporting opportunities and initiatives that will help Sierra Leone grow beyond its fragile state. ¶3. (C) While speaking in relatively limited terms on the workings of the Court, Justice King did acknowledge the delays that have beset their work due to case-related issues. He outlined the completion strategy, and his expectation that it will be met barring all contingencies. He also announced his intention to step-down from his role as President in May, 2008, when his two-year term ends. He stated his feeling that others should have a turn, and identified Renate Winter of Austria as his likely replacement (Note: Other contacts within the Court expressed their belief that, counter to his words, King will run again for the Presidency. End note.). ¶4. (C) Following the meeting with Justice King, Ambassador received Registrar von Hebel and Deputy Registrar Mansaray. The Registrar spoke frankly regarding the internal tensions between the Office of the President and the Registry, but identified that steps have been taken to open the lines of communication between these offices both formally and informally. While communication, or lack thereof, has been a noted concern for the Court, von Hebel mentioned that such problems paled in comparison to issues he faced while serving at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. ¶5. (C) Ambassador expressed her concern about the amount of time spent traveling by key members of the Court for the purpose of fundraising. While all recognize the need for further fundraising, Ambassador suggested that it might impinge on the efficient workings of the SCSL. The Registrar indicated that fundraising trips have resulted in some recent gains, and that he understands that there is an appearance that such trips are distractions from the operations of the Court. With regard to the completion strategy, von Hebel does hope that they will be able to adhere to the planned timeline, but does not want to be too optimistic at this stage. He expressed some concerns that the RUF case will not stay on-schedule, particularly as this Chamber is not considered an example of the most efficient in the SCSL. The Taylor trial started efficiently, but it remains to be seen if this momentum can be maintained. The Registrar hopes that the SCSL will end its activities quickly, because he fears that its legitimacy with the people will erode if the proceedings continue at a slow pace. ¶6. (C) The Registrar mentioned the latest budget sent to the Management Committee, which he was pleased was less than $100 million. While he considered keeping the budget under this amount as an achievement, he did note that the budget is quite tight and that further delays in the Taylor trial could present serious setbacks financially. Ambassador reminded von Hebel and Mansaray that, while Congress is extremely FREETOWN 00000062 002 OF 002 supportive, the budget climate in Washington is currently difficult. She asked for discretion in terms of publicizing the support given by the USG. Ambassador also reiterated the intention to use limited funding to support other endeavors in Sierra Leone once the SCSL draws to a close, which all agreed have equal importance to the SCSL. The Registrar mentioned that funding for specific projects at the Court has been provided by the Rockefeller, MacArthur, and Oak Foundations, and Ambassador applauded their inclusion in supporting the work of the SCSL. ¶7. (C) COMMENT: Lip service has been paid in all recent meetings with Special Court representatives to following-through on the completion strategy and using the dollars provided by donors in the most efficient way possible (see reftel). At this stage, however, it is hard to assess whether or not concrete action will be taken to ensure that this lip service becomes reality. While von Hebel and his office seem sincere in their interest to move the proceedings along expeditiously, Chambers has not missed opportunities to remind stakeholders that the justice process can be a slow one. The tension between administrative and justice issues, despite some corrective action already taken, could continue to plague the Court depending on how willing the Chief Justices are to crack the whip and the state of the relationship between Chambers and the Registry. The possible change of personnel at the Presidential level could provide new hope in the future for improvements with regards to the latter. The Management Committee meeting will provide further opportunities to remind all of the need for communication between the branches of the SCSL, and that the Special Court process, while highly important, was always envisioned as finite. END COMMENT. PERRY