SC/7042
 2 April 2001

SECURITY COUNCIL FORWARDS NOMINATIONS FOR RWANDA TRIBUNAL JUDGES TO GENERAL ASSEMBLY, ADOPTING RESOLUTION 1347 (2001) UNANIMOUSLY

NEW YORK, 30 March (UN Headquarters) -- Having considered the nomination of judges of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda received by the Secretary-General, the Security Council this afternoon forwarded those nominations to the General Assembly.

Unanimously adopting resolution 1347 (2001), the Council forwarded the nominations of Mouinou Aminou (Benin), Frederick Mwela Chomba (Zambia), Winston Churchill Matanzima Maqutu (Lesotho), Harris Michael Mtegha (Malawi) and Arlette Ramaroson (Madagascar).

Convinced of the need to establish a pool of ad litem judges in the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and to increase the number of judges in the Appeals Chambers of the International Tribunals to enable them to expedite their work, the Council, in its resolution 1329 (2000), decided that two additional judges should be elected as soon as possible to the Rwanda Tribunal. Their terms, together with those of the 14 currently serving judges, should expire on 24 May 2003.

The Council created the Tribunal, located in Arusha, United Republic of Tanzania, in November 1994, for the prosecution of persons responsible for genocide and other serious violations of international humanitarian law committed in the territory of Rwanda between 1 January 1994 and 31 December 1994. It may also deal with the prosecution of Rwandan citizens responsible for genocide and other such violations of international law committed in the territory of neighbouring States during the same period.

Also this morning, the President of the Council, Volodymyr Yel’chenko (Ukraine), expressed his gratitude to all delegations, the Secretariat and staff for their assistance in completing the work set out for the month of March. "I will be leaving New York with a sense of mission accomplished", he said.

The representative of the United Kingdom, whose delegation will assume the Council presidency in April, expressed his pleasure at having Mr. Yel’chenko preside over the Council and wished him well on his return to his capital.

Resolution

The full text of the resolution to be issued as S/RES/1347 (2001) is as follows:

"The Security Council,

"Recalling its resolutions 955 (1994) of 8 November 1994, 1165 (1998) of 30 April 1998 and 1329 (2000) of 30 November 2000,

"Having considered the nominations for judges of the International Tribunal for Rwanda received by the Secretary-General,

"Forwards the following nominations to the General Assembly in accordance with article 12, paragraph 2 (d), of the Statute of the International Tribunal:

Mr. Mouinou Aminou (Benin)

Mr. Frederick Mwela Chomba (Zambia)

Mr. Winston Churchill Matanzima Maqutu (Lesotho)

Mr. Harris Michael Mtegha (Malawi)

Ms. Arlette Ramaroson (Madagascar)"

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