Arusha, May 20th, 2004 (FH) - The spokesman of the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), Roland Amoussouga, Thursday said that the unexpected disruption of a trial will not affect proceedings at the ICTR.

He explained that the unexpected withdrawal Monday of Judge Andresia Vaz of Senegal from the trial of four former senior Rwandan politicians on charges of genocide will delay the trial only by a "few weeks".

Judge Vaz chose to step down from the so-called "Government I" trial over which she was presiding, after she was criticised for giving accommodation to member of the prosecution.

Reliable sources say that she will be replaced by Judge Charles Byron from St. Kitts and Nevis who was recently appointed to the ICTR in place of his compatriot who withdrew from the bench due to ill health. The current trial had been scheduled to continue until the end of July.

Talks are going on between the judges and both prosecution and defence to see whether the trial, which was still in its early stages, should continue where it left off or start again from scratch.

"This slight delay will not affect the judicial calendar", affirmed Amoussouga pointing out that the Tribunal was going "full steam ahead". He pointed out that seven verdicts were passed in one year, while confirming that two others will be read within the next two months and a third one at the beginning of next year.

Since the trials of those held responsible for the Rwanda genocide of 1994 began in 1997, the Tribunal has sentenced 18 people and acquitted three. Twelve of the sentences were passed in seven trials held between 2003 and 2004. Trials are set to end by the end of 2008. An unofficial source says that investigations are about to be wound up, although around a dozen or so suspects are still being sought.

As for the trials currently going on, the spokesperson of the ICTR said that the trial former senior officer in the former Rwandan army (ex-FAR), Colonel Aloys Simba which opened and closed earlier this month will resume "shortly". The one of Mika Muhimana, a former councillor accused of numerous charges of rape will resume on August 16 and adjourn on September 10 when the defence will start arguing its case. Deliberations are set for the end of the year. Finally, the "Butare" trial will resume June 7 when the prosecutor will present his last five witnesses before closing his case.

The spokesman also announced that the construction of a fourth trial chamber might begin at the beginning of next year. He rejected claims that any kind of pressure whatsoever had caused the recent resignations among the nine permanent judges. He said that they left off their own will, either because of ill health or for fear of putting their integrity into disrepute.

PB/KN/JA/GF/FH ICTR''0520e)