VZCZCXRO3907
OO RUEHBC RUEHBZ RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHROV
DE RUCNDT #0346 1230104
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 030104Z MAY 07
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1819
INFO RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000346 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
S/WCI FOR WILLIAMSON, L/LEI FOR JOHNSON 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PTER UNSC FR SY LE
SUBJECT: LEBANON: FRENCH INSIST BRAMMERTZ MUST SUCCEED 
CARLA DEL PONTE AS ICTY PROSECUTOR 
 
REF: BEIRUT 591 
 
¶1. (SBU) During a P-3 meeting on May 1 (septel), French 
PermRep de la Sabliere reported that UN International 
Independent Investigation Commission (UNIIIC) head Serge 
Brammertz has informed France that he will leave his current 
position on June 15, 2007 and return to the International 
Criminal Court (ICC) if the UN does not guarantee him a job 
elsewhere beforehand.  Emphasizing repeatedly that "we cannot 
afford to let Brammertz go," de la Sabliere insisted that the 
"only" solution would be to appoint Brammertz to succeed 
Carla del Ponte as Prosecutor of the International Criminal 
Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY).  (Note: del Ponte 
leaves in September. End Note.)  de la Sabliere said that SYG 
Ban had approved this idea, following French lobbying. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Noting that there are other candidates for the ICTY 
position, including del Ponte's current deputy (whom de la 
Sabliere acknowledged is American), Ambassador Khalilzad said 
we would have to study the issue.  UK PermRep Jones-Parry 
agreed that we should consider Brammertz's future but 
objected to the idea that the Council could be "blackmailed" 
into guaranteeing Brammertz an onward assignment in order to 
secure his future at UNIIIC.  UK DPR Pierce added that she 
was not sure the ICC wanted Brammertz back.  Subsequently, 
the French Mission Lebanon expert told Poloff that France 
would soon demarche Washington at a high-level to encourage 
support for Brammertz's candidacy. 
KHALILZAD