VZCZCXYZ0007
PP RUEHWEB
DE RUEHDR #0519/01 1001456
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 101456Z APR 07
FM AMEMBASSY DAR ES SALAAM
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5905
INFO RUEHJB/AMEMBASSY BUJUMBURA PRIORITY 2516
RUEHKM/AMEMBASSY KAMPALA PRIORITY 2976
RUEHLGB/AMEMBASSY KIGALI PRIORITY 0941
RUEHKI/AMEMBASSY KINSHASA PRIORITY 0229
RUEHNR/AMEMBASSY NAIROBI PRIORITY 0600
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 0206
RUEHTC/AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE PRIORITY 1059
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 0416
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY
UNCLAS DAR ES SALAAM 000519
SIPDIS
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
S/WCI FOR BDOHERTY; AF/E FOR BARBARA YODER; IO FOR
RGOLDENBERG
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL UNGA ICTR TZ
SUBJECT: ICTR: AMBASSADOR WILLIAMSON DISCUSSES TRIBUNAL
CLOSURE WITH ICTR OFFICIALS
REF: DAR 00376
SUMMARY
-------
1. (U) Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues Clint
Williamson met with key leadership and working-level
officials at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda
(ICTR) and toured the United Nations Detention Facility in
Arusha on March 7 and 8, 2007. Williamson,s discussions
centered on the successful completion of the ICTR by its UNSC
mandated deadlines (2008 for all trials, 2010 for all
appeals) and the related issues of the ICTR,s legacy and
residual capacity. The key USC"co'gQVRQ5`)dQUQ@QAcVO-
reftel. END SUMMARY.
2. (U) Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues Clint
Williamson, accompanied by Brendan Doherty, Foreign Affairs
Officer, visited the ICTR March 7-8, 2007. Williamson met
with all ICTR principals-- President Erik Mose, Prosecutor
Hassan Jallow, and Registrar Adama Dieng--as well as archival
officials and American ICTR staff. Williamson praised the
ICTR for its continued efficiencies and noted the urgency in
needing to develop a strategy and structure for ICTR residual
capacity post-2010. Williamson remarked that the USG is
currently developing policy positions on these key issues and
will confer with other Security Council members and ICTR
contributors to reach policy positions prior to the
Tribunal's completion dates.
Finishing Cases and the President,s Term Limit
--------------------------------------------- -
3. (SBU) The central issue to meeting the ICTR'S completion
strategy is prosecuting or transferring the 36 defendants
currently in detention and the 18 remaining fugitives.
Despite a few current challenging and cumbersome cases,
President Mose remains confident that the ICTR will complete
all trials of those in custody by 2008. President Mose has
also played a crucial role in stepping up, and keeping up,
the pace of trials and maximizing use of the Tribunal's four
courtrooms. However, his second term ends in May 2007 and an
extension would require amending the judge-made Rules of
Procedure. While Dieng commented: "You don't change a team
that wins," Mose and Jallow were silent on the issue and it
is unclear whether Mose will seek a term limit modification.
Rwanda,s Capacity for Rule 11bis Transfers
------------------------------------------
4. (SBU) Prosecutor Jallow wants to transfer approximately
20 cases to domestic jurisdictions in 2007 and plans to file
a Rule 11bis transfer case8 to Rwanda in April.
Rwanda is the USG,s preferred jurisdiction for all transfers
in principle, but first must meet international fair trial
standards. Jallow noted, and Williamson agreed, that the GOR
needs a plan for building judicial capacity and recommended a
staged approach, focusing first on Rule 11bis capacity and
second on judicial capacity more broadly. Jallow also
floated the possibility of indicting additional suspects for
the purpose of transfer but this would require UNSC approval,
a very difficult sell. Senior Trial Attorney Barbara
Mulvaney suggested that if the Prosecutor withdrew
indictments, files could be transferred without judicial
review, but this would risk the credibility of the ICTR.
Mulvaney also noted that keeping the cases in the Tribunal's
system is one method of prolonging the ICTR's existence,
concurrently benefiting the judges who are themselves
deciding whether to transfer cases.
Dialogue on Residual Capacity Issues
------------------------------------
5. (SBU) As the ICTR closes, some issues such as witness
protection, handling of archives, and special hearings (e.g.
contempt or sentence reviews) will require an ICTR residual
capacity. Williamson commented that any residual capacity
should be lean, handle only essential functions, and likely
evolve over time and by need. He asked the Tribunal
principals for preliminary recommendations on addressing
these residual issues. Mose suggested a mixed
judicial/administrative residual body based in Kigali or
Arusha which drew on a small judicial roster. Mose stressed
the desirability of using previous ICTR judges for
institutional memory and judicial efficiency.
RPF Cases
---------
6. (SBU) Regarding Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) cases,
Jallow said he is focusing on two or three individuals, has
asked his team to decide in April or May "whether we have
cases or we don't," and expects to make an announcement by
June 2007. Acting Assistant Registrar Everard O,Donnell
suggested that the immediate transfer to Rwanda of any RPF
indictments would help mitigate criticism from the GOR. Any
RPF indictments would require UNSC approval, however, and
likely rupture ICTR relations with the GOR, but would also
garner the ICTR important legitimacy by refuting the
allegation of it being a victor,s justice tribunal.
GOR and ICTR Relations
----------------------
7. (SBU) Mose, Jallow, Dieng, and the GOR Representative to
the ICTR, Alloys Mutabingwa, agreed that relations between
the GOR and the ICTR were good. However, the ICTR officials
noted one specific area for improvement, namely, the need for
a prompt response from the GOR to ICTR requests for security
clearances of potential ICTR employees. The ICTR officials
claimed that up to 20 such requests had yet to be answered;
Mutabingwa, on the other hand, told the Ambassador that the
GOR had answered all outstanding requests.
Comment
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8. (SBU) Ambassador Williamson's visit to Arusha emphasized
the USG,s full engagement on the complex legacy and residual
issues facing the Tribunal and reaffirmed the USG,s
commitment to see the ICTR complete its work successfully.
President Mose and other officials clearly appreciated the
open and frank dialogue and wished to work together on these
issues going forward.
9. (U) This cable has been cleared by Ambassador
Williamson.
RETZER