The UN Security Council decided on Wednesday that the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) must wrap up all remaining cases by 31 December 2014.
Of the five permanent members to the Security Council, Russia abstained, disagreeing with the decision to wrap up the work of the ICTY and the ICTR tribunal for Rwanda through a residual mechanism. Russia is the most open advocate for completing the ICTY's work as soon as possible.
The Security Council adopted a resolution calling on the two tribunals to undertake every possible measure to complete their work by 31 December 2014.
The ICTY was established in 1993 and was initially to have wrapped up its work by the end of this year.
ICTY president Patrick Robinson told the Security Council on December 6 that 10 cases were being tried or prepared, four of which would be wrapped by up the end of 2011 and six in 2012.
The completion of the Radovan Karadzic trial is expected at the end of 2013 and all appeals proceedings by the end of 2014 or in 2015.
