In Memoriam. Сборник воспоминаний, статей, иных материалов

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 students. And I started to speak, nervous of course, but nevertheless, I started, and then I was surprised. Why all American students here are looking at me? Something is wrong? No? Okay. Something is wrong? No. All right. And then I notice that all of them were using their notebook and they were printing what I am talking, printing and looking at me. Which was very unusual. Then I returned home, and went to the lecture to my students here in Moscow, and told them that history and look around, how many of them are using this mechanism nowadays? Maybe two. Hundreds of students, and only two of them. And I told them that story. And you know what happened? Next time, more and more of them were following these developments. Okay, okay, thank you.

M.B.: Thank you. …

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S.L.: Thank you so much.