Security Council

5195^th Meeting (AM)

SECURITY COUNCIL EXTENDS DEADLINE FOR ‘AD LITEM’ JUDGE NOMINATIONS

FOR FORMER YUGOSLAVIA TRIBUNAL UNTIL 7 JULY

 

With the number of candidates for ad litem judges for the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia still falling short of the minimum number required by the court’s Statute, the Security Council this morning extended the deadline for nominations until 7 July. 

An initial extension of the deadline was carried out following the adoption of Council resolution 1597 on 20 April, by the terms of which the Council also amended article 13 ter of the Tribunal’s Statute to allow for re-election of existing ad litem judges.

Today’s decision was taken further to a letter of 26 May (document S/2005/346), in which the Secretary-General had forwarded to the Council President a list of 27 nominations for ad litem judges of the Tribunal’s Trial Chambers, which had been received from Member States within the period specified in article 13 ter of the Tribunal’s Statute, as extended by the Council.  As that list was short of the minimum required number of 54, the Secretary-General suggested that the Council should extend the deadline for another 30 days from the date the decision on the matter was taken.  The reply to the Secretary-General will be issued as document S/2005/371. 

The Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, located in The Hague, Netherlands, was established by Security Council resolution 827 on 25 May 1993.  It is mandated to prosecute and try persons responsible for serious violations of international humanitarian law committed in the former Yugoslavia since 1991.  The Tribunal prosecutes and tries four clusters of offences:  grave breaches of the 1949 Geneva Conventions; violations of the laws or customs of war; genocide; and crimes against humanity.

At the opening of the meeting, Council President Jean-Marc de La Sablière (France) expressed his distress at the death of Adolfo Aguilar Zinser, who had served as Mexico’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations in 2002-2003.  He said that Council members were deeply saddened to learn of the death of Mr. Zinser, who had been the victim of a road accident in Mexico.

The meeting convened at 10:13 a.m. and adjourned at 10:18 a.m.

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