LEBANON TRIBUNAL: SYG ESTABLISHES MANAGEMENT

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 USUN NEW YORK 000153 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PTER UNSC SY LE SUBJECT: LEBANON TRIBUNAL: SYG ESTABLISHES MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE REF: A. STATE 14847 ¶B. USUN 1150 (2007) ¶C. STATE 10709 ¶D. IO/USUN EMAIL (SILVERBERG/WOLFF)-02/12/08 ¶E. STATE 14281 ¶F. USUN 117 ¶G. USUN 103 ¶1. (U) BEGIN SUMMARY: The UN marked another milestone in its efforts to bring the Special Tribunal for Lebanon into operation February 13, with the Secretary-General's February 13 statement confirming his "belief in the irreversibility of the establishment of the Tribunal." He also announced that he had established the Management Committee for the Special Tribunal and received indications that expected contributions to the Tribunal would meet the budgetary requirements for the establishment and first 12 months of operation of the Tribunal (para 7). In another positive development, the panel for selecting the Tribunal Registrar unanimously recommended Robin Vincent (UK) on February 14, and the SYG is expected to appoint Vincent shortly. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (SBU) Earlier on February 13, the main donors to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (France, Germany, Lebanon, the Netherlands, UK, and U.S.) agreed on the Terms of Reference for the Management Committee at a meeting hosted by UN Legal Counsel Nicolas Michel, after which Michel announced that the SYG had authorized him to establish the Committee and the UK agreed to chair the Committee. Without naming names, Michel also announced that the UN had received confirmations that several states would be making significant contributions to the Tribunal (ref A),and the UK and Germany said they would be depositing their contributions soon. (Note: OLA advised USUN on February 14 that Saudi Arabia had deposited a contribution of $5 million with the UN. End Note.) ¶3. (SBU) The Management Committee's experts are expected to meet early next week to discuss the two proposed construction packages for the Tribunal building (ref B). The Committee must decide whether to authorize a "basic package" of USD 10 million to cover the costs of constructing a courtroom and holding cells, as well as to carry out minor security upgrades to the building or whether to support an "upgraded package" costing $16.4 million that would include office renovations and other upgrades to bring the building up to 2008 standards. The UN advises that the additional upgrades in the more expensive package are not required to meet building codes. ¶4. (SBU) Management Committee experts also will review and decide upon proposed conditions of service for judges and Tribunal staff, and authorize the establishment of a bank account controlled by the Tribunal and overseen by the Committee to which contributions currently in the UN Trust Fund will be transferred (ref C). OLA plans to present Committee members with proposals concerning how best to facilitate the meeting of Tribunal judges, once they have been appointed, so they can begin work on rules of evidence and procedure. ¶5. (SBU) Before the donors' meeting, France, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, and the U.S. signed a side understanding committing to achieve consensus on all decisions before the Committee and vote accordingly (refs D-G). ¶6. (SBU) USUN/MR, representing the main donors, participated with Michel and former ICTY Registrar Dorothee Nihgh de Sampayo Garrido on a panel tasked with reviewing applicants for the Tribunal Registrar's position. On February 14, the selection panel agreed unanimously to recommend that the SYG appoint Robin Vincent (UK). Vincent served from 2002 to 2005 as Registrar of the Special Court for Sierra Leone. The SYG is expected to announce his selection shortly. ¶7. BEGIN TEXT: Statement Attributable to the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General SIPDIS The Secretary-General today established the Management Committee of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon. This Committee, which will inter alia, provide advice and policy direction on all non-judicial aspects of the operations of the Special Tribunal and review and approve its annual budget, is composed of the main donors to the Tribunal. The Secretary-General believes that this step, along with other SIPDIS steps announced in December of last year - the selection of the judges, the appointment of the Prosecutor, the USUN NEW Y 00000153 002 OF 002 finalization of a headquarters agreement with the Government of the Netherlands enabling the Tribunal to be based in that country, and agreement on a building near The Hague to house the Tribunal - are decisive landmarks in the process of making the Special Tribunal a reality. The Secretary-General also wishes to announce that he has today received indications that expected contributions to the Special Tribunal will meet the budgetary requirements for the establishment and first twelve months of operations of the Tribunal. This will assist greatly in the effort by the Secretariat to establish the Special Tribunal in a timely SIPDIS manner as requested by the Security Council in resolution 1757 (2007). This development, as well as the others previously set out, confirms the Secretary-General's belief in the irreversibility of the establishment of the Tribunal. New York 13 February 2008 END TEXT. WOLFF