INTÈRNATIONAL 'COURT OF JUSTICE
Peace Palace, 251ilKJ The Hague. Tel. 92 44 41. Cables: Intercourt, The Hague
Telex 32323
'7) / i. '*--'l fS 1 ufor rmmediaterelease
92 - c,! .,,- tn +i * * , ).J/
No. 8517
22 April 1985
-FrontierDispute (BurkinaFasolMali) :
-hamber to hold first public sitting
The five-memberChamberformedby the Court on 3 April to deal
with a frontier dispute between BurkiF naso (formerlyknown as
Upper Volta) and Mali isto hold a first publicsittingat the
Peace Palaceat 4 p.m. on Monday 29 April 1985, to enable two
judges ad hoc (see below)to make the solemn declaration required
of them by the Statuteand Rules of Court.
As announced in Press CommuniquéNo. 8516, the Chamber is composed
of Judges Lachs,Ruda andBedjaoui,togetherwith two judges ad hoc
chosen respectivelyby Burkina Fasoand Mali, namely
Professors François Luchaireand GeorgesAbi-Saab. A succinct
biography of each judge ad hoc is annexedhereto. Since this
compositionincludesneither the President northe Vice-President
of the Court, the Chamberwill elect itsown president.
On 12 April the Presidentof theCourt, after consultingthe
Partiesand the Chamber,made an Order fixing 3 October 1985 as the
time-limitfor the filing of Memorials inthe case. This time-limit
correspondsto th.e wishes of the Parties asexpressed inthe Special
Agreementby which proceedings were instituted. The Parties also
contemplatein th.at Agreementat least one further roundof written
proceedings before the case becomes ready for hearing. Anriexto Press CommuniquéNo. 8517
BIOGKAPHIES
FEUNCOIS LUCHAIRE
Born 1 January1919 at La Rochelle (France)
Primary and secondary educationat Cherbourg
University educationat the Faculty of Law of Caen
November 1939: Trainee Avocat, Cour d'Appel deCaen
December 1945: Agrégé des Facultésde Droit
Professor, Faculty of Law of Nancy
1959-1965 : Director of the Institut des Hautes Etudes d'outre-Mer
1945 : Professor, Faculty of Law of Paris
1965-1974 : Member of the Conseil Constitutionnel de la République w
Française
1971-1976 : President of the University ofParis 1 (Panthéon-Sorbonne)
Has taught at theLaw Faculties ofParis, Tunis and Fez, the Ecole
Nationale d'Administration,Algiers, the Hague Academy of International
Law, etc.
GEORGES MICHEL ABI-SAAB
Born on 9 June 1933 at Heliopolis,Cairo, Egypt.
Law degree £rom the University of Cairo in 1954. Advanced studies
in Law, Economy and Politics at the Universitiesof Cairo (AdvancedStudies w
Diploma in Private Law and Public Law), Paris, Michigan (MA Econ.), Harvard
(LL.M., S.J.D.), Cambridge and Geneva (Doctor ofPolitical Science).
Diploma of the Hague Academy ofInternationalLaw.
From 1963 to 1969, successively,Assistant ResearchFellow, Research
Fellow and Lecturerat the Graduate Institute of InternationalStudies,
Geneva. Since 1969, Professor of InternationalLaw at that Institute.
Member of the Egyptian delegationto the Conferenceof Government
Experts (1972) and theDiplomatic Conferenceon the Reaffirmationand
Development of Humanitarian 1,awApplicable in Case of ArmedConflict
(1974-1977).
Counsel and Advocate of the Tunisian Government inthe case concerning
the Continental Shelf (Tunisia/Lib -arirab Jamahiriya)before the
International Courtof Justice.
Associate ofthe Institute oL InternationalLaw.
Frontier Dispute (Burkina Faso/Mali) - Chamber to hold first public sitting