The ICTY President Carmel Agius held today a briefing for the diplomatic community in The Hague on the work of the Tribunal, as well as on his priorities and plans for the biennium. The President was joined by the Vice-President, Judge Liu Daqun and the Tribunal Registrar John Hocking who also addressed the states’ representatives. The briefing was attended by over 90 diplomats.
President Agius pointed out his key priorities: first and foremost, meeting the 2017 deadline for the closure of the Tribunal; second, ensuring the efficiency of proceedings without sacrificing the fairness and quality of judicial proceedings and third, consolidating the image of the Tribunal and the impact of its work.
President Agius stated he was fortunate to take office at a time when the Tribunal is fully operational, strong and has been well-prepared for its last biennium. He explained the forthcoming month would be a hugely significant month for the Tribunal with the pronouncement of two Judgements in the Radovan Karadžić Trial and the Vojislav Šešelj Trial. He also indicated the remaining cases were well on track to be concluded in a timely manner.
Speaking about the key goals of the Tribunal, President Agius said that “it is fundamental that in the remaining biennium, the Tribunal continues its commitment to fostering peace and security in the former Yugoslavia, to ending impunity for the commission of international crimes and to preventing their recurrence in the region.”
President Agius ended his remarks by stressing he was not only the new ICTY President, but also the last, stating that: “As the last President of the ICTY, I have the honour of guiding its closure in 2017, which must be done in an efficient, professional and exemplary manner.”
The Tribunal Registrar John Hocking, briefed the diplomats about the pivotal role of the ICTY Registry in ensuring that the Tribunal is fully equipped to complete its work by the end of 2017 and emphasized the crucial contribution of Member States to the success of the ICTY and its legacy. Registrar Hocking stated that: “The Registry will continue, over the next 18 months, to fuel the successful completion of the ICTY’s mandate and leave behind a powerful legacy, that the Member States have been a vital part of and can be proud of.”
The addresses by the President and the Registrar were followed by a session of questions and answers.
