AMBASSADOR DICARLO MEETS WITH THE ICTR,S PRESIDENT

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000600 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL UNSC SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR DICARLO MEETS WITH THE ICTR,S PRESIDENT DENNIS BYRON ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Ambassador DiCarlo met with Judge Dennis Byron, the President of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) on June 3 prior to the ICTR,s biannual briefing to the UN Security Council. The ICTR,s Special Assistant to the President, Helge Zietler also attended. Bryon outlined timelines for the completion of the ICTR,s work and conveyed that he is concerned about retaining the ICTR,s staff. Bryron also presented his ideas about allowing one of the ICTR,s judges to work from his home country as well as the notion that the ICTR,s ad-litem judges should receive pensions. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (SBU) Judge Byron conveyed that all of the ICTR,s trials should be completed by the end of 2010 and that its appeals work should be completed by the end of 2011. He referred to the request that he had recently sent to the Security Council asking to extend some of the ICTR,s judges through the end of 2011 and asked for U.S. support. Ambassador DiCarlo responded that the United States has, in the past, supported such requests and would likely support the current one. Referring to UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/63/256 as a basis for the judges, contracts to be extended to remove uncertainty in regard to their future employment, Byron said that such a basis should support the Security Council,s ability to approve the request. ¶3. (SBU) In addition to the extension of judges, Byron raised the issue of permitting one of the ICTR,s judges, Judge Joseph Asoka Nihal de Silva, to work part-time at the ICTR and engage in another judicial occupation in his home country and the issue of whether the ICTR,s ad litem judges should receive pensions. Byron said that he needs support for such requests in order to retain vital staff on the ICTR. He also said that the majority of the ICTR,s ad litem judges have worked far beyond the three years initially intended and have done the same work as the permanent judges. Ambassador DiCarlo acknowledged the problem and said that she would make sure the United States reviewed Bryon,s request. RICE