A Trial Chamber of the Special Tribunal for Lebanon held its first pre-trial conference in the Ayyash et al. case.  According to the press release, Presiding Judge David Re stated that the Trial Chamber intends to start trial on January 13, 2014, and called upon the parties “to cooperate with the Trial Chamber so that it will be able to meet the start of trial expeditiously.”  Judge Re also noted that the twelve motions currently pending before the Trial Chamber may impact the date on which trial begins.  The Trial Chamber also heard from the Office of the Prosecutor, Defence counsel for the accused, and Legal Representatives for Victims on a variety of matters.  The next pre-trial conference is expected next month.