Security Council

5785^th Meeting (AM)

SECURITY COUNCIL APPOINTS SERGE BRAMMERTZ, FORMER LEAD INVESTIGATOR OF LEBANESE

PRIME MINISTER’S DEATH, TO HEAD INTERNATIONAL TRIBUNAL FOR FORMER YUGOSLAVIA

The Security Council this morning decided to appoint Serge Brammertz, former head of the international investigation into the assassination of Lebanon’s former Prime Minister, as Prosecutor of the International Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, starting 1 January 2008.

Unanimously adopting resolution 1786 (2007), the Council said that the four-year tenure for Mr. Brammertz was subjected to earlier termination depending on the completion of the Tribunal’s work, recalling that resolution 1503 (2003) had asked the court to take all possible measures to complete all trial activities at first instance by the end of 2008, and to finish all its work during 2010.

Mr. Brammertz, a former Belgian prosecutor, served as a Deputy Prosecutor with the International Criminal Court, before becoming the Commissioner of the United Nations International Independent Investigation Commission into the 2005 bombing that killed former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri.

At the Tribunal, he replaces Carla del Ponte, who notified Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon earlier this year that she did not wish to be considered for another term as Prosecutor, according to a 12 November letter from Mr. Ban to the Council (document S/2007/678), which put forth Mr. Brammertz’ nomination for the position.

The meeting began at 10:15 a.m. and ended at 10:20 a.m.

The full text of resolution 1786 (2007) reads as follows:

“The Security Council,

“Recalling its resolution 1775 (2007) of 14 September 2007,

“Having regard to Article 16 (4) of the Statute of the International Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia,

“Having considered the nomination by the Secretary-General of Mr. Serge Brammertz for the position of Prosecutor of the International Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (S/2007/678),

“Recalling that resolution 1503 (2003) of 28 August 2003 called upon the International Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia to take all possible measures to complete all trial activities at first instance by the end of 2008, and to complete all work in 2010 (ICTY completion strategy),

“Recalling also its resolution 1534 (2004) of 26 March 2004, which emphasized the importance of fully implementing the International Tribunal’s completion strategy and urges the Tribunal to plan and act accordingly,

“Decides to appoint Mr. Serge Brammertz as Prosecutor of the International Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia with effect from 1 January 2008 for a four-year term, which is subject to an earlier termination by the Security Council upon completion of the work of the International Tribunal.”

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For information media • not an official record