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Diplomats Visit the Tribunal

The United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda today played host to some 19 accredited Ambassadors, heads of mission and representatives to Tanzania and Kenya. The envoys travelled from Dar-es-Salaam to Arusha at the invitation of the Tribunal.

The group, led by the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps in Dar-es-Salaam, H.E. Fariz N. Mahdawi, the Ambassador of Palestine to Tanzania, is composed of heads of mission from Algeria, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Japan, Nigeria, Norway, Korea, Rwanda, Sweden, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, representatives of the Diplomatic Missions of Angola, Burundi, Canada, United Kingdom, the U.S.A. and the representative of the UNHCR in Dar-es-Salaam who was also representing the Agencies of the United Nations Organization System.

During the visit, the envoys collectively met with the President of the Tribunal, Judge Erik Møse, the Prosecutor, Mr. Hassan Bubacar Jallow, and the Registrar, Mr. Adama Dieng, and were briefed on recent developments at the ICTR, and in particular, its strategy to complete its work by 2008.

The diplomats also held discussions and exchanged ideas on the work of the Tribunal with the three senior officials of the ICTR. Ambassador Mahdawi said the diplomatic community would continue to support the work of the Tribunal. He emphasized the need for African and Arab countries to join the traditional donor community to give more financial and political support to the ICTR.

The delegates questioned Tribunal officials about the overall operation of the Tribunal and its plans for achieving the objectives before its mandate ends, including the issue of transferring some of the cases to national jurisdictions.

This is the first time the envoys have travelled as a group to Arusha for an ICTR briefing. Previous briefings have always taken place in Dar-es-Salaam.

The delegates expressed their appreciation and satisfaction with the performance of the Tribunal and pledged to convey their conclusions, impressions and recommendations to their respective governments.

For information only - Not an official document

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