The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda states it will be able to meet the December 31, 2008 deadline imposed by the UN Security Council for completing trials, according to the Hirondelle agency. Only the trial of the former leaders of the MRND presidential party, bogged down by multiple snags over the years, will not be completed until March 2009, according to information from the agency. The ICTR made this promise to the representatives of the major Western donors to the tribunal, including three members of the Security Council. Twenty-six of the accused are currently waiting to be sentenced or on trial, while nine others are still waiting for their trials to begin. On September 14, the Security Council renewed its request that the international tribunal follow the completion schedule set in 2003.