In Memoriam. Сборник воспоминаний, статей, иных материалов. Сергей Лебедев

Чтение книги онлайн.

      M.B.: No. I just, I’m curious. And another curious question. If I understand correctly, Professor, you were a member of the Russian President’s Council for Judicial Reforms. Was that correct? Were you appointed to the Council of Judicial Reform, law reform, back in the ’90s, and reappointed for 2000–2004?

      S.L.: Yes, I was. I was a member of that council for several years, yes. And the chairman of that council was Professor Tumanov.

      M.B.: Can you tell us about the name of the council, and the purpose? What was the purpose of that council?

      S.L.: Let me see, how to translate… it was the Council for Perfection of Judicial System. It was [speaks in Russian]. It was the Council for Perfection of Judicial System, actually.

      M.B.: After the breakup of the Soviet Union?

      S.L.: Yes. And the idea of that council was to consider certain controversial matters which arise in the activities of courts. Various aspects. And then to provide recommendation to the President of Russia, recommending to make certain steps to overcome this difficulty, some defects in the work of our courts. That was the purpose of that meetings. I hope that some recommendations were taken into account.

      M.B.: Professor, I would like to ask one question about the Polar Star. In 2003 you were awarded the Order of the Polar Star by the Swedish King. Could you tell us about this, and your feelings about that?

      S.L.: What happened, of course, is an important factor in my life. And I remember how it happened. I was sitting in my room at home, and I received many letters and emails and so on, and were looking at them. And all of a sudden, I see a message from Ulf Franke, who says that “You have been proposed to be awarded by Polar Star, and the King will be prepared to meet you on such and such date in Stockholm. If you agree.” I could not understand, actually, immediately, what does it mean? Then I started to read it more carefully, such several lines in that message from Ulf Franke. I immediately sent an answer to Ulf Franke. “I’ll be happy to come to Stockholm at that date, or any other date that might be convenient to the King, if he really is prepared to meet me.” And Ulf Franke answered that also American lawyer Howard Holtzmann was invited for that meeting, and Chinese Professor Houzhi Tang, they are also invited to come to that date. And of course, I took my wife and my grandson, and we flew to Stockholm, to meet the King. [phone ringing] Excuse me, I’ll… [speaks on phone] You know, and we stayed in the best hotel in Stockholm, we ourselves, of course, and in Grand Hotel, and Howard was there, and the Chinese Professor was also there, and we went to meet the King. And it was something absolutely unusually unexpected to me. And we met the King, and there were photographers, and we shook hands with him, and then he gave to each of us, he gave the Order. It was something very special, of course, and usually, we were told, that King for such meetings provide maybe 10–15 minutes. Usually. But this time, he put certain questions to us, to each 3 of us, and we tried to answer him, and he was interested in our answers, in discussing this problem, about arbitration in Stockholm, and about arbitration in China, in the United States, in Soviet Union, he was interested, he put certain questions and we tried to answer, as good as we can, and finally it was 40 minutes. And then we were given the pictures, and the pictures were made by a Chinese photographer, who was there. He was with the Chinese Professor. And so I have several pictures, of course, how the King hands over the Order to me and to others, and there is also on the backside, there is also my wife, and Carol, the wife of Howard Holtzmann so these pictures are particularly important for our family album. And in general, what does it mean? Of course, the question is, and why, what is the reason? Why the Swedish King decided to make such an award to you? What is the reason? And I say, as I understand, I have of course the Order of the King, signed by him, and I say the reason is that we helped to develop arbitration in general, and also for Sweden within our possibilities. That is the reason. And for me, of course, this award is of very particular importance, and honor.

      M.B.: You were recognized together with Holtzmann, and Professor Tang for your contribution to the development of arbitration, as you say. When you look back upon your life, how do you feel about your legacy? When you look back upon your life how do you feel about what you have accomplished?

      S.L.: My wife says that I have to write my biography. And I promised her that I’ll do that, but so far, there is no time to do this. I hope that I have done what I could have done, and I tried to do this the best way. But what is the appreciation by other people, I don’t know. But I’m happy that there is now the treatises of mine, which have been published, that is quite a book, which reflects what I have done in writing. And many articles of mine and other documents written by me. I think that is something which I leave after me.

      [Речь идет об этой книге, изданной в 2009 г.]

      M.B.: You were, in this very location, 1952, celebrating your graduation.

      S.L.: Graduation from the law school.

      M.B.: What became of all the dreams that you had back then?

      S.L.: You mean what were my dreams for the future?

      M.B.: I guess that you had dreams and thoughts about the future, when you were here, celebrating in the Armenian restaurant. What became of those dreams? [Интервью проходило в ресторане «Арагви». Окончание Института С.Н. Лебедев отмечал с однокурсниками в нем же. – Примеч. сост.]

      S.L.: I should say that I’m satisfied how my life developed. Because I participated in many interesting international events, according to my profession. I was in UNCITRAL and I still attend the meetings of UNCITRAL, just weeks ago we had a meeting in Vienna, on a very important document, commentary on how arbitration proceedings should be organized. It was adopted in 2006, and I wrote a small note about that document, and now we are developing additions, amendments to that document. And I started that from 1970, so many years, in UNCITRAL. I was a member of the arbitral tribunal of the compensation commission of United States, appointed by the Security Council of Unites Nations. It was a tribunal against the Iraq in connection with its intervention to Kuwait, so it was an important factor for me. I have been an arbitrator in international case in more than 15 countries, together, during all these years, and I’m arbitrator here in Moscow, and I was an arbitrator in more than 600 cases, altogether, during my life. And I’m a professor of the Institute of International Relations, which is also a very prestigious function for me. So all it is very, very important factors in my life.

      M.B.: You have not only contributed to international arbitration but also to the development of your country, of course. The development of Mother Russia since the ’50s and onwards, you have played a major part in that development.

      S.L.: Well, I should be modest in this respect.

      M.B.: I can say that.

      S.L.: Thank you.

      M.B.: Thank you so much.

      S.L.: Thank you very much. Thank you for listening to me for so long. That is for me an unexpected chance to speak. Usually I speak to my students. I remember some episode, I was invited to speak in Columbia University in New York several years ago, by American Professor. And I came there, and there was a group about arbitration in Russia, and there was a group about 20 СКАЧАТЬ