AMBASSADOR DICARLO MEETS WITH SPECIAL COURT FOR

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000250 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL AOWC SL PGOV SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR DICARLO MEETS WITH SPECIAL COURT FOR SIERRA LEONE'S PROSECUTOR ¶1. (U) Summary. Ambassador DiCarlo met on March 11 with Stephen Rapp, Prosecutor for the Special Court for Sierra Leone to discuss the latest developments at the Court, including the Court's need for additional voluntary contributions. Anthony Triolo, the Court's liaison officer, and Legoff also attended the meeting. End summary. ¶2. (U) The Prosecutor reviewed recent developments at the Special Court. He noted the historic judgment in the Revolutionary United Front case two weeks ago, which included the first convictions for forced marriage and attacks on peacekeepers. The sentencing hearing in that case is scheduled for March 23, and the Appeals Chamber is expected to handle the appeal expeditiously. The Prosecutor closed his case in the Charles Taylor trial, and the motion by the Defense asking the court to dismiss the case will be heard on April 6. The hope is that the Defense case will begin by July. ¶3. (U) The Prosecutor said that he has given up on trying to find the body of Johnny Paul Koroma, one of the high-level accused who had been reported to be dead. He is thus exploring options for transferring the case to a national jurisdiction, given that it is still possible that Koroma could be found alive some day. Norway and Spain are prime candidates, but the Prosecutor has also approached Nigeria, which so far is reluctant to take this on. According to the Prosecutor, it would be better to handle a transfer of the case to another State now, rather than leave this issue to a future residual mechanism, given the high likely cost of standing up a full Court for a single trial and the funding difficulties this would entail. ¶4. (U) The Prosecutor expressed deep concern about the Court's financial situation. He said that he met with United Nations Legal Counsel Patricia O'Brien to discuss a letter from the Secretary-General to all Member States seeking additional voluntary contributions. Ambassador DiCarlo said that the United States supports the Secretary-General sending such a funding appeal. The Prosecutor also said that he hoped that a letter from Management Committee Members' Permanent Representatives to three Gulf States' Permanent Representatives would be sent prior to the Registrar's fund-raising trip to those States. He noted that a few years ago the UN General Assembly granted a subvention to the Special Court, but he doubted the Secretary-General would support such a move this year. ¶5. (U) The Prosecutor noted that the US omnibus budget, which was passed yesterday, included nine million USD for the Court in FY 09. Ambassador DiCarlo said that the Department supports a seven million USD contribution for the Court for FY 09. The Prosecutor said that he hoped that the State Department would not reduce the contribution from nine million USD to seven million USD. He also said that ideally the US contribution would be made as early as possible, rather than at the end of the fiscal year. ¶6. (U) The Prosecutor also mentioned the news reports which quoted him as saying that Charles Taylor would have to be set free if the Court runs out of money. He said that the quotation was taken out of context and that he was misquoted. Wolff