The President of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), Judge Theodor Meron, warmly welcomes the unanimous adoption by the Security Council on 19 May 2003 of resolution 1481 (2003) amending the Statute of the ICTY to enhance the powers of ad litem Judges.

The President notes with satisfaction that, thanks to the resolution, during the period of their appointment to a trial, ad litem Judges would also be authorized to oversee pre-trial matters in other cases. By eliminating the Statute’s bar on ad litem Judges adjudicating in pre-trial proceedings, the resolution will enable ad litem Judges to make more efficient use of their time and enhance their already important contribution to the work of the Tribunal, thus helping the Tribunal to bring cases to completion more expeditiously.

The President confirms that, in accordance with the Statute, ad litem Judges will still be excluded from a number of activities reserved to Permanent Judges, such as voting on amendments to the Rules of Procedure and Evidence.