VZCZCXYZ0000
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUCNDT #0525 1681441
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 161441Z JUN 08
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4431
INFO RUEHLB/AMEMBASSY BEIRUT IMMEDIATE 1389
RUEHTC/AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE IMMEDIATE 9039

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000525 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PTER UNSC SY LE
SUBJECT: LEBANON TRIBUNAL:  PROGRESS CONTINUES 
 
REF: A. USUN/IO EMAIL (WILCOX/REINEMEYER)-06/13/08 
     ¶B. IO/USUN EMAIL (HACKETT/WILCOX)-06/12/08 
     ¶C. USUN 468 
     ¶D. USUN 435 
     ¶E. USUN/IO EMAIL (WILCOX/REINEMEYER)-05/27/08 
     ¶F. USUN 171 
     ¶G. STATE 1170 (2007) 
     ¶H. USUN 1185 (2007) 
     ¶I. USUN 384 
 
¶1.  (SBU) BEGIN SUMMARY:  Work to set up the Special Tribunal 
for Lebanon (STL) continues to progress, with the Management 
Committee's adoption of financial regulations and rules for 
the STL and the conclusion of the lease agreement for the 
building in The Hague that will house the STL.  With new 
contributions from Belgium and the UK, the STL now has USD 
42.7 million in hand, in addition to another USD 15 million 
in pledges (ref A).  On June 19, STL Prosecutor-Designate 
Daniel Bellemare, who heads the UN International Independent 
Investigative Commission (UNIIIC), will brief the Committee 
on his requests for staffing the STL's Office of the 
Prosecutor.  Three members of the STL Registrar's advance 
team leave New York for The Hague in the next two weeks, and 
the Management Committee is close to completing its 
consideration of draft staff regulations for the STL.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
¶2.  (SBU) At its tenth meeting on June 12, the Management 
Committee for the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) focused 
on staffing-related issues, including the draft staff 
regulations for the STL.  Per ref B, USUN suggested revisions 
to bring the financial disclosure provisions of the draft 
staff regulations into line with the UN's policies on 
financial disclosure.  No other Committee members objected, 
and the draft will be revised accordingly for the Committee 
to adopt soon.  USUN also proposed that the STL Registrar 
designate an appropriate senior staff member to review 
completed financial disclosure statements and serve the 
function of an ethics officer.  The Committee agreed that STL 
Registrar Robin Vincent would develop procedures for 
reviewing the disclosure statements and report to the 
Committee, and on the margins of the meeting Vincent told 
USUN that one of the senior legal officers would likely be 
able to assume that function. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) In response to USUN, Vincent also clarified a draft 
provision of the regulations that would require the STL to 
reimburse its staff members for any income taxes they pay. 
Vincent said such reimbursements would be funded out of the 
STL's general operating expenses.  The Special Court for 
Sierra Leone (SCSL) has used the same mechanism to reimburse 
its staff members' income tax payments.  Because most states 
worldwide exempt their nationals from paying taxes on income 
they earn while working for the UN and organizations like the 
SCSL, Vincent said the cost to the SCSL of paying such 
reimbursements has been low.  Vincent expected the same for 
the STL. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Finally, Vincent said two members of his advance 
team would arrive in The Hague on June 16 and 18, with a 
third arriving on June 23.  Vincent will remain in New York 
until the Management Committee has approved the staffing 
proposal for the STL and has not yet confirmed his departure 
date for The Hague.   Vincent said he has posted a job 
announcement for a temporary liaison officer, who would be 
based in New York and coordinate with the advance team in The 
Hague. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) The Committee will meet on June 19 to discuss 
proposed staffing levels for the STL.  Vincent has agreed to 
provide Committee members with a detailed narrative 
justifying proposed staffing levels for the STL on June 16. 
Khalilzad