Delimitation of the Maritime Boundary in the Gulf of Maine Area (Canada/United States of America) - Filing of Replies

I INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE

Peacs Palace, 2517 KJ The Hague. Tel. 92 44 41. Gables: Intercourt, The Hague

Telex 32323
Curnmu%~iquB

forrmmedjaterelease

No. 8317
14 Deceder 1983

Delimitation of the Maritime Boundary in the
Gulf of Maine Area
(CanadalUnited States of America)

Filing of Replies

The following informationis made available to the press by the
Registry of the International Court of Justice:

Canada and the United States filed on 12 Decernber 1983 their Replies
in the Registrywithin the time-limit as fixed by an Order of 27 July 1983,

Canada and the United States have submitted to a specially formed
Chamber of the International Court of Justice a dispute mer the boundary
separating the fishery zones and continental çhelveç of the two countries

off the Atlantic coast in the Gulf of Maine area, The proceedings were
instituted on 25 November 1981 by the filing of a Special Agreement.

The Chambes was constitutedby an Order of the Court adopted by 11
* votes to 2 on 20 January 1982. It is composed as follarç: Judge Ago,
President: of the Chamber; Judges Gros, Ifosles and Schwebel; Judge
ad hoc Cohen. This was the firçt time in the hiçtory of the Court that the
r-
parties to a dispute had made use of the poçsibilities, ernbadied in the
Statute and Rules of the Court, of sending their case to a special chamber
instead of to the full Court.

The filingof the Replies brings to an end the exchange of pleadingç
between Canada and the United States. The first pleadingç (the Memorials)
had been filed on 27 Sepeember 1982 and the second (the Counter-Memosials)
followedon 28 June 1983. The next stage of the case will be oral and
consist in the submissian of oral arguments by the Parties. A date for the
opening of the oral proceedings will be Eixed in due course.