MEETING WITH UN OFFICE OF LEGAL AFFAIRS ON KHMER

C O N F I D E N T I A L USUN NEW YORK 000323 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/27/2019 TAGS: PGOV KJUS PREL PHUM CB SUBJECT: MEETING WITH UN OFFICE OF LEGAL AFFAIRS ON KHMER ROUGE TRIBUNAL REF: STATE 29154 Classified By: Ambassador Alex Wolff, Reasons 1.4(b) and (d) ¶1. (SBU) On March 26, Legoffs met with U.N. Assistant Secretary-General for Legal Affairs Peter Taksoe-Jensen and U.N. Senior Officer Huw Llewellyn and delivered the points contained in Reftel. ¶2. (C) Taksoe-Jensen reported on the status of the negotiations on the anti-corruption mechanism for the Khmer Rouge Tribunal. He said that the joint sessions have been bogged down on the issue of whether national staff can complain to the international ethics monitor, and on the process of "appealing" recommendations. He noted that the UN has not yet determined what its bottom line is, and was considering whether there is some other "safety net" that would provide Cambodian employees with sufficient protection against retaliation or intimidation. Taksoe-Jensen remains concerned that the NGO community will criticize the United Nations if it agrees to language that does not provide sufficient protection for Cambodian employees. ¶3. (C) Taksoe-Jensen said that, with the help of the donors, it has been made clear to Cambodia that Sean Visoth, the Cambodian Administrator alleged to have orchestrated the kick-back scheme, must not return to the court. Ideally, according to Taksoe-Jensen, Visoth would be removed from the payroll altogether, not simply remain out on extended sick leave. ¶4. (C) Taksoe-Jensen plans to travel to Phnom Penh on April 6 to meet with Sok An and to finalize the anti-corruption mechanism. While in Phnom Penh, Taksoe-Jensen plans to meet with UNDP and the donors. Taksoe-Jensen wants to persuade UNDP not to disengage from the Khmer Rouge Tribunal. ¶5. (SBU) Taksoe-Jensen reported that the UN will soon make a vacancy announcement for the liaison officer position, which he hopes will assist in communication between Phnom Penh and the New York-based representatives of the donors. He also emphasized the need for a Special Advisor along the lines of the role previously played by David Tolbert last year. He said that a Special Advisor could spend significant time on the ground in Phnom Penh working on corruption and other important issues related to the court. Wolff