French
Deal to
Support
Unqualified
ICC Candidate
for Cathala
Nears
Consummation
By
Matthew
Russell Lee
UNITED
NATIONS,
December 9 --
The electoral
race to fill
six judge
positions
at the
International
Criminal Court
has been a
typical UN
affair,
with
candidates'
countries
seeking face
time if not
promises of
support by
hosting and
attending
receptions,
doling out
lamb chops,
making
grandiose
claims.
But
both the
outgoing and
income
Presidents of
the ICC's
Assembly of
State Parties
say that vote
trading is not
supposed to
take place.
Nevertheless,
as
Inner City
Press exclusively
reported in
late October,
France offered
to support a
candidate
found to be
unqualified if
his country
would
support the
French
candidate
Bruno Cathala.
The
candidates for
the six ICC
judge seats
were reviewed
by the
Independent
Panel on
International
Criminal Court
Judicial
Elections and
four -- from
Tunisia,
Cyprus, Costa
Rica and
Mexico -- were
found to be
"unqualified."
But
when one of
the
"unqualified"
candidates met
with France to
try to make
his case, he
tells Inner
City Press
that he was
surprised to
be offered a
deal: that if
his
country
committed to
vote for the
French
candidate, he
could count on
France's vote.
On
December 8
Inner City
Press learned
from the
country of the
unqualified
candidate that
the one
certainty is
that they will
vote for
France's
Cathala,
performing
their part of
the exposed
but still in
place
deal.
France
styles
itself a
champion of
international
criminal
justice and
accountability.
But just as it
asserted
itself to
place atop UN
Peacekeeping
Herve Ladsous,
the chief of
staff of
foreign
ministers
Alain Juppe
and Michele
Aliot-Marie
including when
she flew on
planes
owned by
cronies of
Tunisian
dictator Ben
Ali, it is
seeking to its
candidate
Bruno Cathala
as a judge on
the ICC. Will
it work?
(c) UN Photo
Cathala at UN,
quid pro quo
& French
vote for
unqualified
not shown
(anonymous)
Colombia,
a
country nearly
targeted by
the ICC, has
put forward a
candidate,
Eduard
Cifuentes
Munoz.
Colombian
officials up
from Bogota to
push
the campaign
explained that
as a country
that has
wrestled with
war
crimes,
Colombia may
have lessons
to teach
others. The
country has
pursued the
judicial
opening
aggressively.
Another
sample
campaign has
been for the
Philippines'
Miriam
Defensor-Santiago.
On
Friday,
December 2
generally well
liked and
earnest
Permanent
Representative
Libran N.
Cabactulan of
the
Philippines
threw a
reception in
the General
Assembly lobby
complete with
wine, lamb
chops and
samosas.
Available
at the
reception were
excerpts from
court
decisions,
some by Miriam
Defensor-Santiago
and some
citing her,
for example a
decision in
Republic of
the
Philippines
versus Marcos.
Inner
City Press
asked Miriam
Defensor-Santiago
if she thought
the ICC should
indict
at least some
non-African
leaders, to
move away from
the perception
that only
Africans are
targeted by
the Court. "I
don't know,"
she answered,
"that remains
to be answered
by the major
powers."
To
some, this is
a
troubling
answer; others
question some
of her jokes
about gender
differences
and secret
love children.
She faces a
single
opponent
from Cyprus
for the Asian
group seat.
The
Cypriot
candidate was
ruled
"unqualified"
by an NGO
convened
panel,
though some
knowledgeable
sources
question that
rating since
the
candidate is
well versed in
family law
including
abuse and
other
quasi-criminal
matters.
But
it has been a
troubling
campaign,
complete with
France
offering its
support to an
unqualified
candidate as a
trade for
votes for
Bruno Cathala.
How
might this
taint the ICC?
Watch this
site.
, 
