VZCZCXYZ0002
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUCNDT #0780 2641604
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 211604Z SEP 07
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2633
INFO RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT PRIORITY 1156
RUEHTC/AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE PRIORITY 8929

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000780 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KCRM KJUS LE PREL SY
SUBJECT: LEBANON TRIBUNAL - PROGRESS REPORT 
 
REF: WILLSON-REINEMEYER 9/17/07 EMAIL 
 
¶1.  USUN Legal Adviser spoke with UN Assistant Secretary 
General for Legal Affairs, Larry Johnson, September 18, about 
progress on the appointment of a Prosecutor and Judges for 
the Lebanon Tribunal.  He confirmed that UN Legal Counsel 
Nicolas Michel has interviewed some prospects for the 
Prosecutor's job. Johnson also said that UN Independent 
International Investigations Commissioner Serge Brammertz is 
currently in Hong Kong at a meeting of Prosecutors and will 
be on the lookout for new names to add to the list. 
 
¶2.  The UN Legal Office (OLA) has given the Secretary General 
four nominees for the panel which will select the Prosecutor 
and Judges.  The Secretary General is to choose two of the 
four to serve with Michel on the panel.  The panel candidates 
are people with experience as judges on the Rwanda Tribunal 
(ICTR), Yugoslav Tribunal (ICTY) or International Court of 
Justice (ICJ).  The panel will convene in the middle to end 
of October to make their selections.  In addition to the 
Prosecutor, they must choose seven (7) international and four 
(4) Lebanese judges.  Although OLA has sufficient Lebanese 
nominees, they have received only four nominees for 
international judges. 
 
¶3.  The UN is anxious to select the Prosecutor so that he or 
she will have two months overlap with Brammertz before 
January 1, when the new Prosecutor would begin work at the 
Commission.  The UN also plans to convene the Tribunal's 
Management Committee soon so that it can begin discussion of 
terms and conditions of employment of the staff and other 
details that will be needed to get the court up and running. 
USG Michel reported to the Council on September 19 and a 
report on his briefing will be provided shortly (septel). 
 
KHALILZAD