A Buddhist monk walks past a portrait of King Norodom Sihamoni in front of the royal palace in Phnom Penh May 4, 2006. The Supreme Council of Magistracy headed by the Cambodia king holds a meeting in the palace to select Cambodian and U.N. judges and prosecutors for a tribunal of surviving Khmer Rouge leaders, an official said. REUTERS/Chor SokuntheaPHNOM PENH (AP) - King Norodom Sihamoni opened a meeting Thursday to select Cambodian and U.N. judges for a long-awaited genocide tribunal for surviving Khmer Rouge leaders, an official said.
Justice Minister Ang Vong Vathana said the king would sign royal decrees on the appointments after chairing a meeting of the Supreme Council of Magistracy, the country's highest judicial body.
In a brief phone interview before the meeting, he declined to say when the appointments would be formally announced.
Cambodia and the United Nations agreed in 2003 to jointly convene trials of former Khmer Rouge leaders accused of responsibility in the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million people from starvation, disease, overwork and execution during the group's 1975-79 rule.
Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot died in 1998. The ultra-communist movement collapsed a year later, but none of its top leaders has been brought to justice.
Many still live and move freely in Cambodia.
The council will base the selection of judges on a list of 12 candidates submitted by the United Nations in March and 17 Cambodian judges, Ang Vong Vathana said.
The final 12 judges selected will be divided between a lower and upper court, which will handle appeals and deliver final verdicts.
Both Cambodia and the U.N. will also each provide one prosecutor and one investigating judge to lead the investigations.
Reach Sambath, a tribunal spokesman, has said that preliminary legal procedures would start in June but the actual trials are not expected to begin until early 2007.
Trials have been delayed by funding problems.
Many fear that aging Khmer Rouge leaders may die before they can stand trial for crimes against humanity and genocide.
An agreement between Cambodia and the United Nations set a US$56.3 million (euro44.6 million) budget for the tribunal, of which the world body would cover US$43 million (euro34.07 million).
Cambodia agreed to pay US$13.3 million (euro10.54 million) of the cost, but has since asked foreign donors to finance US$9.6 million (euro7.61 million) of its share.
Justice Minister Ang Vong Vathana said the king would sign royal decrees on the appointments after chairing a meeting of the Supreme Council of Magistracy, the country's highest judicial body.
In a brief phone interview before the meeting, he declined to say when the appointments would be formally announced.
Cambodia and the United Nations agreed in 2003 to jointly convene trials of former Khmer Rouge leaders accused of responsibility in the deaths of an estimated 1.7 million people from starvation, disease, overwork and execution during the group's 1975-79 rule.
Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot died in 1998. The ultra-communist movement collapsed a year later, but none of its top leaders has been brought to justice.
Many still live and move freely in Cambodia.
The council will base the selection of judges on a list of 12 candidates submitted by the United Nations in March and 17 Cambodian judges, Ang Vong Vathana said.
The final 12 judges selected will be divided between a lower and upper court, which will handle appeals and deliver final verdicts.
Both Cambodia and the U.N. will also each provide one prosecutor and one investigating judge to lead the investigations.
Reach Sambath, a tribunal spokesman, has said that preliminary legal procedures would start in June but the actual trials are not expected to begin until early 2007.
Trials have been delayed by funding problems.
Many fear that aging Khmer Rouge leaders may die before they can stand trial for crimes against humanity and genocide.
An agreement between Cambodia and the United Nations set a US$56.3 million (euro44.6 million) budget for the tribunal, of which the world body would cover US$43 million (euro34.07 million).
Cambodia agreed to pay US$13.3 million (euro10.54 million) of the cost, but has since asked foreign donors to finance US$9.6 million (euro7.61 million) of its share.
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