UN JUDICIAL POSITIONS: LITHUANIAN, U.S. CANDIDATES

C O N F I D E N T I A L VILNIUS 000120

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR IO/MPR:BHACKETT, L/UNA:DJOHNSON
USUN FOR MR:BRASHKOW

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/27/2019
TAGS: AORC APER KUNR UNGA PREL LH
SUBJECT: UN JUDICIAL POSITIONS: LITHUANIAN, U.S. CANDIDATES
RECEIVE PRAISE

REF: A. SECSTATE 16118

B. SECSTATE 16254

Classified By: DCM Damian R. Leader for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) We delivered Reftel B information to Rita Kazragiene,
head of the MFA's United Nations and Global Policy Division
on February 23. She told us February 25 that the GOL would
support the U.S. candidate for the UN Appeals Tribunal (UNAT)
if the USG would commit to supporting Lithuania's candidate.
After we told her the United States did not make such quid
pro quo deals, she said her government could not say which
candidates it would vote for but had a positive reaction to
the U.S. candidate, Judge Mark Painter. Kazragiene also said
the GOL strongly supports the Lithuanian candidate,
Virgilijus Valancius, and believes him to be highly qualified
to serve on the UNAT. She did not offer GOL views on any of
the other candidates.


2. (U) Research (Reftel A) into Valancius has unearthed no
negative information. After serving several years as a
prosecutor, Valancius spent three years as a trial-court
judge in Vilnius, hearing civil, criminal, administrative and
labor cases. He then served seven years as a judge and
chairman of the civil division of the Court of Appeals of
Lithuania, hearing civil, labor and administrative cases. He
has been a judge at the Supreme Administrative Court since
2002, and recently finished a six-year term as chairman of
that court. He was President of the European Association of
Judges in 2006-2008, has been Vice President of the
International Association of Judges since 2006, and sits on
the Board of Trustees of the European Law Academy, an
appointment that expires in 2011. He is a professor in the
Civil Process department of the Mykolas Romeris University.


3. (U) A leading and respected Lithuanian lawyer told us he
had discussed Valancius with other lawyers after we sought
his opinion. He said Valancius is highly thought of by
judges and lawyers, has never been suspected of corruption
and is well-regarded for his scholarly work. He added that
Valancius, as head of Lithuania's Supreme Administative
Court, encouraged judges to take a more expansive view of the
law and to respect judicial precedent as well as the written
law. Such an approach, while unusual for Europe, is
appropriate here because Lithuania is still making the
transition from a Soviet to a democratic European legal
system, the lawyer said. He said Valancius was regarded as
an expert on EU law, particularly on procedural issues.
CLOUD