International Tribunal Warrants Compulsory to All U.N. Members
The international tribunal”s registrar, Robin Vincent, said the warrants issued by the court would be international and all members of the United Nations should abide by them.
"All arrest warrants issued by the tribunal are compulsory international documents for all United Nations members," Vincent said in an interview with al-Mustaqbal newspaper on Saturday.
He added that an international and non-Lebanese pre-trial judge has been appointed to look into the findings of the U.N. commission investigating ex-Premier Rafik Hariri”s killing. The panel”s mandate officially expires at midnight Saturday as the tribunal starts functioning the next day.
Vincent said that the final draft of the tribunal”s bylaw would be approved once the judges meet at Leidschendam. He did not provide a date as to when the meeting would take place adding that the U.N. Secretary-General would like to keep the date confidential to protect the Lebanese judges who have to travel to The Hague to be sworn in.
The pre-trail judge would only begin work once he and tribunal judges are finished with placing the bylaw of the court that includes what could be termed as the legal criminal procedures related to the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.
Sunday”s tribunal opening event at Leidschendam in the Netherlands is to be attended by 15 ambassadors representing donor nations and 90 media figures representing 70 media outlets (newspapers and satellite televisions).
"Very soon 11 judges will meet. (3 initial judges, 5 appeal judges, 2 substitute judges and a pre-trial judge) would all be sworn in prior to approving the tribunal”s internal order," Vincent said.
He added that the 5 Appellate Court judges are also scheduled to meet (they include 2 Lebanese judges).
Vincent did not clarify whether a male or female judge would head the tribunal.
Despite the signature of a bilateral agreement between the United Nations and Lebanon regarding the tribunal, any other U.N. member country would also be concerned with this agreement, Vincent told al-Mustaqbal.
"Lebanon cannot sign an agreement with every U.N. member nation, and the U.N. here means all U.N. member states. In this regard the bilateral agreement with Lebanon forces all U.N. member states to fully cooperate with the tribunal, because the United Nations is party to this agreement," Vincent said.