LEBANON TRIBUNAL: BUILDING PROPOSAL APPROVED

C O N F I D E N T I A L USUN NEW YORK 000384 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/30/2018 TAGS: PREL PTER UNSC SY LE SUBJECT: LEBANON TRIBUNAL: BUILDING PROPOSAL APPROVED REF: A. STATE 33659 ¶B. USUN 340 ¶C. USUN/IO EMAIL (WILCOX/REINEMEYER-04/04/08) ¶D. THE HAGUE 278 ¶E. USUN 239 ¶F. USUN/IO EMAIL (WILCOX/REINEMEYER-03/07/08) ¶G. THE HAGUE 237 ¶H. USUN/IO EMAIL (WILCOX/REINEMEYER-04/30/08) ¶I. USUN 381 Classified By: Amb. Alejandro D. Wolff, for reasons 1.4(b) and (d). ¶1. (C) BEGIN SUMMARY: On April 29, the Management Committee for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) approved the proposal for building a courtroom and holding cells and otherwise refurbishing and equipping the AIVD Building, which the Dutch government is providing to house the STL. The Committee's decision paves the way for a small advance team led by STL Registrar Robin Vincent to occupy the building as early as the end of May 2008 and for the first stage of the construction project to begin. The Secretary-General also issued a statement announcing that STL Registrar Robin Vincent had assumed his duties on April 28. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) After the French informed the Management Committee that they had instructions to join consensus on the proposal for refurbishing the AIVD Building, the Committee decided on April 29 to approve the draft proposal (refs A-G). Indicating that they were acting on instructions, the French also circulated a non-paper (ref H) reiterating France's concerns about the STL's financial security, stating France's intention to maintain its political and financial support for the STL, and expressing hope that other partners will show the same determination if the STL is confronted with budgetary difficulties in the future. ¶3. (C) The Dutch representative said that now that the Committee has made its decision on the construction/refurbishment package, she expected work to secure the building would begin immediately so Vincent and his team could start working from the building by the end of May 2008. Vincent said the International Criminal Tribunal for the former YUGOSLAVIA (ICTY) has identified the security guards it will be providing, on a cost-reimbursable basis, for the STL building, and said cooperation with the Dutch authorities concerning security matters is going smoothly. He also reported that a team of investigators from the UN International Independent Investigation Commission (UNIIIC) has begun working from office space at the ICTY but hoped the UNIIIC team could begin occupying office space at the AVID Building soon. ¶4. (SBU) As for next steps, STL Registrar Robin Vincent said he would seek the Committee's additional guidance before making any subsequent decisions concerning the refurbishment. For example, he said he would request the Committee's guidance before pursuing the information technology package for the courtroom. Acknowledging the concerns many members had expressed when the Committee discussed Vincent's proposed project management structure on April 2, Vincent agreed to provide a revised proposal for the Committee to approve at its next meeting. Vincent said the revised proposal would address the Committee's concerns about the need for oversight by the Management Committee. Finally, Vincent reported that the draft budget for the STL's first year is nearly complete and will be submitted to the Committee for its approval soon. ¶5. (C) The Committee will meet again on either May 1 or May ¶5. Under-Secretary-General David Veness will brief the Committee on the security risks facing the Lebanese judges, and the Committee will be expected to advise the Dutch on whether their plan for securing housing for the Lebanese judges is acceptable (ref I). Khalilzad