Military and Paramilitary Activities in and against Nicaragua (Nicaragua v. United States of America) - El Salvador requests permission to intervene

OF JUSTICE

Peace Palace, 2517 KJ The Hague. Tel. 92 44 41. Cables: Intercourt, The Hague

Telex 32323

Communiqué
unofficial
for tmmediais rsleass

No. 84/25

16 August 1984

-ilitary and Paramilitary Activities in and
against Nicaragua (Nicaragua v. United States of America)
El Salvador requests permission to intervene

The following information is made available to the press by the
Registry of the Int~ernational Court of Justice:

The Republic of El Salvador filed a declaration of intervention

in the case concerriing Military and Paramilitary Activities in and
against Nicaragua (:Nicaragua v. United States of America). It is
based on Article 63 of the Statute of the Court which reads as follows:

"1. Whenever the construction of a convention to which States

other than thalse concerned in the case are parties is in
question, the Registrar shall notify al1 such States forthwith.

2. Every State so notified has the right to intervene in the
proceedings; but if it uses thiç right, the construction given
by the judgmen~t will be equally binding upon it."

The Government of El Salvador indicates in its declaratian that
the object of its interventlon is to enable it to argue that the Court
does not have jurisdiction vver Nicaragua's Application. In this
connection, it refers to certain multilateral conventions on which

Nicaragua relies in its dispute with the United States.

Under Article 83 of the Rules of Court, the declaration of
intervention was immediately communicated to the Parties, and a
time-limit (14 September 1984) flxed by the Vice-President for them to
present written observations thereon.

It will be for the Court to decide whether the declaration of
intervention is admissible. Should an objection be raised, it will
hear the Parties and El Salvador before decidlng.

This is the sscond time that a declaration O" fn~ervenfion has
been filed with the Court under Article 53 9: the Statute. The first

declaration of intervention was filed by Cuba in th2 case concerning
Haya de la Torre (Colcmbia v. Peru] (1951).