[JURIST] The UN Security Council [official website] on Wednesday unanimously approved [press release] the appointment of Serge Brammertz [ICC profile; JURIST news archive] as the new chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) [official website]. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon [official website] nominated Brammertz [JURIST report] earlier this month to replace outgoing chief prosecutor Carla Del Ponte [official profile], who will step down at the end of the year. Although the ICTY chief prosecutor normally serves a four-year term, Brammertz will likely serve for less than that, as the ICTY is scheduled to complete its work in 2010. Brammertz will begin working at the ICTY on January 1.

Brammertz, a lawyer from Belgium, is a former deputy prosecutor in the International Criminal Court (ICC) [official website]. Most recently, he was heading the international investigation in to the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri [JURIST news archive]. The ICTY was established in 1993 to prosecute war crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia. Xinhua has more.