VZCZCXYZ0000
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUCNDT #0581/01 1830002
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 010002Z JUL 08
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4529
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHGG/UN SECURITY COUNCIL COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA IMMEDIATE 1055
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO IMMEDIATE 8499

C O N F I D E N T I A L USUN NEW YORK 000581 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/30/2018 
TAGS: PREL PTER UNSC SY LE
SUBJECT: LEBANON TRIBUNAL:  MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE CONTINUES 
TO DISCUSS STAFFING 
 
REF: A. IO/USUN EMAIL (MORRISON/WILCOX)-06/25/08 
     ¶B. USUN 551 
     ¶C. USUN/IO EMAIL (WILCOX/MORRISON)-06/23/08 
     ¶D. USUN/IO EMAIL (WILCOX/REINEMEYER)-06/18/08 
     ¶E. USUN 468 
 
Classified By: Minister Counselor Carolyn L. Willson, for reasons 1.4(b 
) and (d). 
 
¶1.  (C) BEGIN SUMMARY:  The Management Committee for the 
Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) continued to discuss the 
draft staffing proposal for the STL at its fourteenth meeting 
on June 26.  While agreeing that the Committee should approve 
the staffing proposal as soon as possible, many members said 
that the proposed staffing for the Office of the Prosecutor 
(OTP) included too many high-level positions.  The Dutch 
reported that their lower House of Parliament had approved 
the Headquarters Agreement with the UN as well as the 
accompanying implementing legislation and that the upper 
house is expected to consider and take action upon the 
documents this summer.  Finally, the UN announced that it had 
formed a working group of three international jurists, who 
would review the draft rules of procedure and evidence before 
they are provided to the STL's judges for consideration and 
adoption.  END SUMMARY. 
 
COMMITTEE CONTINUES TO DISCUSS STAFFING 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (C) The STL Management Committee continued to discuss the 
draft staffing proposal for the first year of the STL's 
operation, which STL Registrar Robin Vincent prepared with 
input from Bellemare.  The request seeks 315 staff, at an 
estimated cost of USD 30 million.  Committee members 
reiterated that the draft proposal for the OTP appeared to 
include too many high-level positions, and although they 
agreed to seek clarification from Bellemare, several members 
cautioned against approving senior positions simply so 
Bellemare could retain specific personnel now working for the 
UNIIIC.  Instead, the Management Committee should determine 
what positions at what level are appropriate and then let the 
STL recruit personnel to fill those positions, they argued. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Committee members then focused on areas in the 
proposal in which there appears to be duplication between 
staffing for the OTP and the Registry.  In general, several 
members expressed concern about the proposal to have staff in 
the OTP and the Registry performing the same functions, 
arguing that it could lead to duplication and competition 
between the two organs and prompt the Head of the Defence 
Office to request comparable positions.  For example, many 
members disagreed that the OTP should have a dedicated 
Outreach Officer (as Bellemare has proposed) and argued that 
all outreach functions should be centralized in the Registry. 
 The Outreach Office's main function would be establishing 
links with civil society in Lebanon and its neighbors to 
demonstrate that the STL is fair, independent, and impartial. 
 The Office could organize specific events at the request of 
the Prosecutor and any other organ of the STL, as the 
comparable Outreach Office in the Registry of the Special 
Court for Sierra Leone has done.   Members agreed that 
security functions should rest in the Registry, and many 
supported Vincent's proposal to have a P-5 level security 
coordinator in the Registry, who would have overall 
responsibility for security issues. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Members agreed with USUN that the OTP should have a 
dedicated Public Affairs Officer and will consider the 
appropriate grade level for that post pending clarification 
from Bellemare.  Vincent commented that although he agreed 
the Prosecutor should have a spokesperson, he thought the STL 
should have a comprehensive media policy that all organs of 
the STL would agree to follow. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Members also stressed the need to delay filling 
positions that would not be necessary in the first year. 
Vincent stressed his plan to phase in staff in as of January 
1, saying that he planned to advertise incrementally for 
positions between July and December with the intention of 
filling posts no earlier than January 1.  He explained that 
he would recruit competitively to fill positions, although 
internal UN candidates would receive preference, consistent 
with the STL's Staff Regulations and UN policy. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Committee members also had a few questions on the 
staffing proposal for the Registry.  Responding to members' 
comments, Vincent agreed to delete his request for a P-4 
Political Officer, provided he could rely on OTP's Political 
 
 
Officer for guidance as needed.  Vincent also said he might 
want to request two additional Legal Officers and agreed that 
the Deputy Registrar could be hired at a level lower than D-1. 
 
JURISTS REVIEW DRAFT RULES 
-------------------------- 
 
¶7.  (C) Assistant Secretary-General Larry Johnson announced 
that the UN had formed a working group of three international 
jurists to review the draft rules of evidence and procedure 
for the STL before the STL's judges consider them.  The 
working group has proposed to meet in The Hague on October 6 
and wants to include one of the Lebanese judges in its 
discussions.  As a result, Johnson suggested that it might 
make sense to relocate all of the Lebanese judges at that 
time.  (Note: On the margins of the meeting, Johnson told 
USUN that Antonio Cassese (former President of the 
International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia), Judge 
Morrison (UK), and a Dutch judge are the members of the 
working group.  End Note.) 
 
OTHER 
----- 
 
¶8.  (SBU) The UN Staff Pension Fund will consider the STL's 
application to join the Fund at its July 14-18 meeting in 
Rome.  The Committee agreed that it would be useful to accept 
the Fund's invitation for a Committee representative to 
participate in that meeting. 
 
¶9.  (SBU) The Management Committee meets again on July 3 with 
the aim of agreeing upon staffing for the STL.  It also will 
consider applications from Canada and Japan to join the 
Committee.  Both Canada and Japan have contributed more than 
USD 1 million to the STL. 
Khalilzad