War crimes court needs adequate funding, Annan cautions

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has cautioned the Security Council against setting up a war crimes tribunal for Sierra Leone without proper funding. In a letter to Council President Kishore Mabhubani of Singapore, Annan said the court might run into cash flow problems unless it was provided three years of operational funds up front. In December 2000, the Council had expressed the view that the Court should only begin after the UN Secretariat obtained sufficient voluntary contributions to pay its first 12 months of operations, and pledges equal to anticipated expenses over the next one year.