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TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6471
INFO RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 3773
RUEHMD/AMEMBASSY MADRID PRIORITY 0150
RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME PRIORITY 0617
RUEHDM/AMEMBASSY DAMASCUS PRIORITY 3895
RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH PRIORITY 3605
RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA PRIORITY 4017
RUEHTV/AMEMBASSY TEL AVIV PRIORITY 1552
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO PRIORITY 0015
RUEHTC/AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE PRIORITY 0154
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC PRIORITY
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 4309
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L BEIRUT 000114 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT PLEASE PASS TO DOJ/OIA DAVID WARNER 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/04/2020 
TAGS: PGOV PREL KTIP KJUS PHUM KWMN PREF EAID SY
FR, LE 
SUBJECT: JUSTICE MINISTER NAJJAR ON TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS, 
MLAT, AND SPECIAL TRIBUNAL 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Michele J. Sison for reasons 
1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
¶1. (C) Summary: Justice Minister Ibrahim Najjar informed the 
Ambassador on February 3 that he had forwarded a draft 
trafficking in persons law to the cabinet for approval, a 
step needed before it goes to a parliamentary vote.  He did 
not expect the draft to face political opposition.  His 
ministry is interested in signing a Mutual Legal Assistance 
Treaty with the U.S., Najjar said, noting the bilateral legal 
agreement signed with France during Prime Minister Hariri's 
January visit to Paris.  On domestic politics, Najjar feared 
that Syria and its allies would take advantage of PM Hariri's 
desire to "rule by friendship" to strengthen their power. 
Najjar also discussed the ongoing visit of Special Tribunal 
for Lebanon (STL) Presiding Judge Antonio Cassese, who 
predicted to the Ambassador that the STL would issue 
indictments by the end of 2010.  End summary. 
 
TIP LAW REFERRED TO THE CABINET FOR APPROVAL 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (C) Justice Minister Najjar told the Ambassador in a 
February 3 meeting that, after studying the draft trafficking 
in persons (TIP) law, he had recently approved it for 
transmission to the cabinet for a vote.  If the law appeared 
on the cabinet's February 5 agenda and was approved, he said, 
it would then pass to parliament for study by the judiciary 
committee headed by MP Robert Ghanem before a vote was 
scheduled.  The key step in maintaining momentum on the bill, 
he outlined, was to ensure that Minister of State for 
Parliamentary Affairs Michel Pharaon expedited transfer of 
the bill from the cabinet to parliament.  Once parliament 
voted the TIP bill into law, it would be published in the 
official gazette before the Justice Ministry (MOJ) determined 
how to implement it.  After that, the MOJ would conduct 
training to sensitize judges and prosecutors to the new law. 
Although one would not expect a TIP law to be controversial, 
Najjar clarified, other legislation such as a law protecting 
female victims of violence had earlier stalled in the cabinet 
due to unforeseen opposition. 
 
MLAT AND ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE WELCOMED 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (C) Najjar proposed that the U.S. and the GOL study the 
possibility of signing a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty 
(MLAT).  During Prime Minister Saad Hariri's January visit to 
Paris, the two countries had signed a bilateral legal 
agreement, he noted.  Najjar provided the Ambassador with a 
copy of the French agreement.  Najjar also welcomed USAID 
assistance to the MOJ.  The upcoming inauguration of the 
USAID-supported model court was important, he underscored, 
because it showed the value of the rule of law to citizens. 
The MOJ was considering constructing a "judiciary city" to 
centralize its activities, and he said that he would approach 
the Embassy and other donors for financial support when plans 
were finalized. 
 
NEW GOVERNMENT DYNAMICS 
----------------------- 
 
¶4. (C) Although he called PM Hariri "the man for the 
situation" who sought stability and normalized relations with 
his opponents, Najjar criticized President Michel Sleiman for 
"doing his best to help" Syria's Lebanese allies.  His fear, 
Najjar said, was that Syria and its allies would take 
advantage of Hariri's generosity and Sleiman's weakness to 
increase their power during the current political truce. 
Hariri's desire to "rule by friendship" is "something new 
that we must adapt to," Najjar added. 
 
STL JUDGE PREDICTS INDICTMENTS IN 2010 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (C) Regarding the ongoing visit to Beirut of STL Presiding 
Judge Antonio Cassese, Najjar indicated that the STL would 
need to sign a memorandum of understanding with the GOL to 
formalize the procedures for any trials that would be held. 
Najjar, who took a wait-and-see approach to the possibility 
of indictments, described Cassese as "discovering Lebanon and 
the Lebanese" during his visit.  He also welcomed the 
opportunity to send Lebanese lawyers and judges to visit the 
STL's headquarters in the Hague. 
 
¶6. (C) Cassese met with ambassadors of countries on the STL 
managing committee earlier the same day to provide an 
overview of STL progress since its inception in March 2009. 
The STL's budget is adequate, Cassese said, and he reported 
that Russia would join the management committee once it upped 
its contribution from $500,000 to $1 million.  On prospects 
for progress, Cassese revealed his hope that indictments 
would be issued by the end of 2010 and reported continued 
support from the Lebanese leaders he had briefed, including 
President Sleiman and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.  While 
Cassese said that he would undertake outreach to the Lebanese 
public on the role of the STL and the possible timing of its 
activities, he has not yet publicly mentioned the 2010 
timeline for indictments. 
 
¶7. (C) COMMENT:  Although we are not as optimistic as Najjar 
on the timeline for passing the draft TIP law, such a law 
would finally provide the GOL the legal framework to 
prosecute TIP crimes. 
 
SISON