Minquiers and Ecrehos (France/United Kingdom) - Representatives of the Parties at the sittings which will begin on Thursday, September 17th, 1953

1,C.J. C+omq1iqu6 53/16
(Unofficial)

The f~llowing inform,tion from the Registryof the International
Court of Justice has bdan cammunlcatct do th2 3ross:

kt 10.30 a.m, on Thursday, Scptcmber 17th, 1953, the sitting.~ of
the International Court of Justice ~nll b3gin for the bearing of
speeches by rsprzscntativco sf theUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Irolznd 2nd of tho French napublic in thc Minquiers and
Ecrehos case.

This casc w~s.brough baforc the Court by tho nptificctioo nn
Dacember bth, 1951, of 2 Spocial Agrezment concluded by the Govzrnments
of thc Unitcd Kingdom and France in Decenber, 1950. The nmbcr of
rnitten plandings, the order inwhich they shoulc? bcpresanted, as
wall as 6hc tinz-lMts for thcixl filLng, hv~ bc~n fhcd by Z;ho Court
in accordmce wikh thc wishes of thc Parties mC! the czse is Dow rùady
for honring.

The diffwcncos whieh are the.sulsject of the Spscial Agreement
have arisen b~twvûn theParties as a result of clnh by each of them

to sovercignty ovzr groups of islets rocks of the Iilinquicrsand
* Ecrehos, The Court hns bcenroq&stcd to detcmnine whcthzr thc
sovereignto yver tbesc islcts nnd rocks (in so far as they are capable
of appropriation bclongs to tho Unlted Kingdam or thc Fronch Republic.

Tho i3crchos group is sitü:~tcd North-Sast of the ishnd of Jersey
is scparntad frx~ tho coast of the Cotentin peninsuhr by the
strnit known ns Ln Déroute. It consists of n cortr,ln nmbor of islets
whieh 2rz pvrmünuntl ybcrvc watir. The mtjn ons is cnlled Maître Ils
or, ~natrcsscIlc. This cont-ins rihous-: rcntcd by Lord Trcnt of
Mottinghm, the ruhs of ,m ancicnt priory, a slipway md n bcncon,

Little furthsr to th? North, on the islat which is called IFt~~motière,
therc is a Custom House as wcll 3s n nmber of grmita huts. ihothor
islot,Blanc Ile, contains 3 house.

Tho othcr group, vrhich is c211ed the Minquiws, is vddaly
scatturcfi to the South-East of the Island of Jsrscy,bztweenthc
Inttur and the Frcnch ish,nds of Chnusey. It contains, cbovc-
w~tar,drying md sxlkon roc1:s ri,nreefs. Tha oniy khnbitod
islet io itdtrcss~ Ile, which contnins a slfpway:!ffording a r-idansof
8 landing a16 a nunb~r of buildings, including about 2. dozen buts
belonghg to Jzrsopn. During the war the Gary-uns mintaincd an

,m.ti-abcraft past on the islet.

Al1 thesz buildings 3,rc used during the Springand. Smer as a
shaltar for fishcrmen or for holiday purposes. Tho ltinquiars also
contein a woedcn hut and a f l2gst:?fferectod by p:irtics of Fronchman
in1939 and 1945.

The inportLuce of thesc grou23 of islets and rocks bocme
,zpp;~rent,p,~rticulc!rlydurinp; the ninetconth and twzntiath centuries,
with tks dzvclol>mznt of fishzries nn5 the cultivction of oysters.
Tho Partizs rely on docunmts sons of whicki go back to thc Niddlc Agcs, .
and in particul-r on thc Trenty of Abbcvillo of &?,y 1&h, 1258, by
which Hmry JI1 of Englmd renounced ,.Il cl?.ims ta Continental
Norm-mdy, but hntkout crxpressly nmt ionkg the Ch~nnel Is1:xnds; on

the Trsuty of Brétignyof 1360, 5y which l2~r;r:III of kglmd obtaincd
nwneroüs territories in theSouth-Most W,ost'md Northof Frwcc; on
a Pionition issucd b.~Pope Sixtus IV on Fabrury.26th, U81, ordorang

pirates ,,.,piratesto ceasc thei? depredations in the Channel Tslnnds under pain
of excornunication; ad on a Bull issued. by Popc Blexmder VI on
Jmuàry 20th, 3500, %hich trmsferred the Chpanel Islands from the
Biocese of Coutace to that ofWinchester ,tc. '

The Parties wlll be rupresented bzfore the Court ns follom:

-*r tho United Kingd-m:

ken+: fi, R, S. B. Best, Thlrd Legnl idviser to the Foreign
Office,

Counsel:; b,r C.S.eHerrison,.G.B.E.,.P~lttomey-Genernlrafor the.

Islmd of Jersey;
Mr, G.G. Fitmurice, C.Iq.G., Logal Adviser,'~orei~n
Office;
Professor E.C.S. !Vade, Downing Professor of the hws
of Znglmd in the University
of Cmbridge; and
fi, D.H.N. Johnson, Assistant LegaL Adviser, Foreign
Officc.

Expert ildviscr:
fi.. J. D. Lmbcrt, Rcsanrch Dcp2rtment, ~orci~m Office.

Agent: Professor hdr6 Gros, Logal Adriscr to the Ministry
for Fo~eign dffnirsg

Experts: M. ~urnG, Conseiller dTEtat;
Adnirnl Durmd de Sclnt-Front;
M. Prospcr \<leil, Frofcsoorat the Lw Faculty of
Grenoble;
M. Piorre Duparc, >issistnntKccper of Archives at thc
~4inistryfor'~orzi~m Affairs .

Thc Hague, Saptenbor lOth,1953. C