VZCZCXRO8562
OO RUEHAG RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHROV
DE RUEHLB #0963/01 1791509
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 281509Z JUN 07
FM AMEMBASSY BEIRUT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8639
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 1375
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO PRIORITY 1287
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY
RHMFISS/CDR USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BEIRUT 000963 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NSC FOR ABRAMS/SINGH/MARCHESE/HARDING 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/28/2017 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER SY IS LE
SUBJECT: LEBANON: GOL CLOSE TO SUBMITTING TRIBUNAL JUDGE 
NOMINEES TO UNITED NATIONS 
 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Jeffrey D. Feltman, Reasons: Section 1.4 (b) 
and (d) 
 
¶1.  (C) Justice Minister Charles Rizk provided Ambassador on 
June 28, 2007 with a list of names of twelve Lebanese judges 
the GOL intends to nominate to the UN for selection for the 
four seats on Special Tribunal.  He said all twelve have 
agreed to have their names put forward.  The GOL has its 
preferred four nominees.  Rizk indicated those on the list he 
gave the Ambassador and the GOL will discreetly inform UN 
Legal Advisor Michel.  The four include a Sunni, a Maronite 
Christian, a Greek Catholic and a Greek Orthodox.  Rizk also 
gave the Ambassador the names of the GOL's two nominees for 
the one Deputy Prosecutor position; it has no preference 
which of the two the UN selects.  One is a Sunni and one a 
Maronite, so if the UN were concerned about confessional 
balance among the preferred judges, it could select a deputy 
prosecutor to correct that. 
 
¶2.  (C) Rizk said the two lists now go to PM Siniora, who is 
out of the country and expected to approve them when he 
returns, and then on to the UN. 
 
 
¶3.  (C) Below are the names of the nominees (Note: strictly 
protect.  These persons are at risk of being threatened or 
assassinated for agreeing to act as Tribunal judges). 
 
The four preferred nominees are: 
 
Mr. Ralf Riachi 
Mr. Choucri Sader 
Mr. Akram Baassiri 
Mr. Saad Jabbour 
 
The eight other nominees are: 
 
Mr. Afif Chamseddine 
Mr. Samir Alieh 
Mr. Joseph Maamari 
Mr. Nadim Abdelmalak 
Mr. Walid El-Akoum 
Mr. Tannous Mechleb 
Mme. Micheline Braidi 
Mr. Ali Ibrahim 
 
The two nominees for deputy prosecutor are: 
 
Jocelyn Tabet, Maronite 
Ghassan Oueidat, Sunni 
 
¶4.  (C)  Comment:  While the Lebanese did not move quite as 
quickly in completing their lists as Rizk promised IO A/S 
Silverberg at the beginning of June, it is still good news 
that the Higher Judicial Council has made its recommendations 
for the judges and that Rizk has made his recommendations 
regarding the deputy prosecutor.  When PM Siniora returns to 
Lebanon from abroad, we will push on what is presumably an 
open door to get these lists forwarded to New York ASAP. 
Regarding the judges, Ralf Riachi and Choucri Sadr, 
presumably, are shoe-ins for the UN.  According to all 
reports we have heard, they forged extremely good relations 
with UN/OLA chief Nicolas Michel during the negotiations of 
the statutes for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.  We do not 
know the other two judges on the preferred list, but Rizk 
assured us that they are highly reputable.  As for the 
proposed candidates for the deputy prosecutor slot, both 
Tabet and Oueidat are well regarded in legal circles.  Tabet, 
we note, is very close personally to Deputy Prime Minister 
and Defense Minister Elias Murr (who, of course, is one of 
the victims of the assassination attempts, having survived a 
car bomb on July 12, 2005). 
 
¶5.  (C)  Comment, continued:  As noted above, it is important 
to keep these names confidential, to lower the security risks 
against the candidates.  We hope that Sadr and Riachi are 
already keeping a low profile, since it is a common 
assumption that will be nominated.  In a sad commentary on 
the current security situation in Lebanon, Riachi told us 
recently that, as an unmarried bachelor with no children and 
no close relatives in Lebanon, he is more dispensible than 
judges with family obligations -- and thus Riachi concludes 
that he is an easy choice for the risks associated with the 
tribunal. 
 
FELTMAN