US ambassador at large for war crimes, Clint Williamson, arrived in Cambodia for a three-day study of the Khmer Rouge tribunal

US War Crimes Ambassador to Tour Tribunal
By Heng Reaksmey, VOA Khmer
Original report from Phnom Penh
05 December 2007

The US ambassador at large for war crimes, Clint Williamson, arrived
in Cambodia Wednesday for a three-day study of the Khmer Rouge
tribunal.

Williamson's visit comes as the US is considering funding for the cash-
strapped tribunal, officially known as the Extraordinary Chambers in
the Courts of Cambodia, or ECCC.

"While the US wants to be in a position to be able to support the ECCC
politically and financially, the State Department is still reviewing
all the facts about the tribunal and its operations, including whether
or not it is capable of meeting international standards of justice,"
the US Embassy in Phnom Penh said Wednesday in a statement.

Williamson will meet with tribunal, government and rights officials,
including Deputy Prime Minister Sok An, the embassy said.

The US was instrumental in establishing the framework for the hybrid
tribunal, which pairs UN-appointed international and national jurists
across several offices and court chambers.

Tribunal spokesman Reach Sambath said Wednesday the courts welcomed
the visit.

"We have iterated from the beginning that the US is a country involved
in this tribunal, and a country that pushed for the formation of the
ECCC," Reach Sambath said.

The tribunal, which in recent months has arrested five top Khmer Rouge
leaders, opened its doors February 2006, after years of wrangling.
Observers now say it will overreach its time limit, and that necessary
funds will be needed to keep it running.

But the process has been tarnished by accusations of corruption,
kickbacks and a lack of transparency, and US officials have said in
the past these need to be overcome before the US will help fund it.

"The US takes seriously allegations of mismanagement or impropriety in
the ECCC's Office of Administration," the embassy said Wednesday.
"There have been multiple assessments this year of the ECCC's
administration, and these are important tools for identifying and
correcting weaknesses in the ECCC's operations. The US looks forward
to receiving updates on the steps taken by the ECCC's administration
to address the concerns identified in these audits."
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