VZCZCXRO6947
PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHBZ RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW
RUEHLA RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUCNDT #0852 2841359
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 111359Z OCT 07
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2765
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT PRIORITY 1187
RUEHTC/AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE PRIORITY 8939

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000852 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KCRM KJUS LE PREL SY
SUBJECT: UN BRIEFS SECURITY COUNCIL MEMBERS ON LEBANON 
TRIBUNAL 
 
REF: A. USUN 821 
 
     ¶B. USUN 789 
     ¶C. USUN 783 
     ¶D. USUN 780 
 
¶1.  Summary:  The UN is moving to appoint the principal 
officers of the Lebanon Tribunal during October and November. 
 UN Legal Counsel told Security Council members that a 
mechanism has been set up to identify the Tribunal Prosecutor 
and Judges before the end of the year.  He explained that the 
individual selected to serve as Prosecutor will also succeed 
Serge Brammertz as Chief of the Investigation Commission.  In 
a separate development, the Secretary General circulated a 
letter (faxed IO) requesting contributions to fund the 
Tribunal.  End Summary. 
 
¶2.  Under Secretary General for Legal Affairs Nicolas Michel 
convened a meeting, October 9, to brief Legal Advisers of 
Security Council members on progress in setting up the 
Lebanon Tribunal.  He said that the Secretary General has 
named two judges to serve with his representative (Michel) as 
a panel for the selection of the Prosecutor and Judges.  The 
Secretary General will send a letter soon to the Council 
 
SIPDIS 
notifying them of the composition of the panel. 
 
¶3.  The Selection Panel will convene in New York on October 
22-23 to organize their work, make a recommendation for the 
Prosecutor position and establish a short list for judges. 
They are expected to reconvene from November 26 to 29 to 
interview candidates for judges on the short list and then 
recommend their selections to the Secretary General, 
 
 
¶4.  Michel noted that the practice with regard to the 
appointment of the UN Independent International Investigation 
Commissioner (UNIIIC) has been for the Secretary General to 
inform the Security Council.  He recalled that the term of 
the current Commissioner, Serge Brammertz, will end on 
December 31, 2007 but the Commission's mandate extends until 
June 15, 2008.  He said that in order to ensure an element of 
continuity in the Commission, Brammertz's successor must be 
appointed soon to enable them to work together before 
Brammertz departs Beirut.  He indicated that, although the 
Prosecutor would not be able to function until the judges are 
in place, the Commissioner's role would facilitate his smooth 
transition to Prosecutor.  Michel added that it would not be 
automatic that Commission staff would migrate to the Tribunal 
but that the Commission would want to retain good staff 
members to provide continuity. 
 
¶5.  In response to a question concerning appointment of the 
Prosecutor, Michel said that the Prosecutor-elect should be 
in place to begin working with Brammertz in November.  Clear 
decisions, he said, will demonstrate that the process will 
not be derailed.  Naming the Prosecutor-elect now will 
underscore that. 
 
¶6.  Although there was no new ground covered in the briefing, 
it was clearly an attempt by the UN Secretariat to bring all 
members of the Council into the process, which Michel said 
must be "open" and "non-politicized". 
KHALILZAD