Summaries of Judgments, AdviNot an official document of the Internationa
l Court of Justice
CASE CONCERNING THE VIENNA CONVIENTIONON CONSULAR RELATIONS
(PARAGUAY v. UNITED STATES OF AMER.ICA) (DISCONTINUANCE)
Order of 10 November 1998
In the case concerning the Vienna Convention on Having regard to the request for the indication of
Consular Relations (Paraguay v. United States of America) provisional measures submitted by Paraguay on 3 April
at the request ofParaguay,on 10November 1998,the Court 1998 and to the Order made by the Court on 9 April
made an Order recording the discontinuance of the 1998,by which it indicatedprovisionalmeasures,
proceedings and directing the removal of thecase from the Having regard to the Orders of 9 April 1998 and 8
Court's List. June 1998, by which the Vice-President of the Court,
The dispute broughtby Paraguayto the Court concerned acting as President, fixed andsubsequentlyextended the
alleged violations of the Vienna Convention on Consular time limits for the filing of written pleadings on the
Relations of 24 April 1963 withrespect to the case of Mr. merits, and having regard to the Memorial filed by
Angel FranciscoBreard, a Paraguayannationalconvictedof Paraguay on 9 October 1998;
murder in Virginia (United States), whose execution had Whereas,by a letter of2 November 1998,filed in the
been scheduled for 14 April 1998 and who was eventually
executedon that date. R.egistrythat same day, the Agent of Paraguay informed
the Courtthat his Governmentwished to discoiltinuethe
The Court was conlposed as follows: Vice-President proceedings with prejudice, and accordingly requested
Weeramantry,Acting President;President Schwebel;Judges that the casebe removedfromthe List;
Odn, Bedjaoui, Guillaume, Ranjeva, Herczegh, Shi, Whereas a copy of this letter was inlmediately
Fleischhauer, Koroma, Vereshchetin, Higgins, Parra- communicated to the Government of the United States,
Aranguren,Kooijmans,Rezek; RegistrarValencia-Ospina.
which was informed that the senior judge, acting
pursuant to Articles 13,paragraph 3, and 89. paragraphs
2 and 3, of the Rules of Court, had fixed 30 November
1998 as the time limit within which the UnitedStates
could statewhether it opposedthediscontinuance;
The full text of the Orderreads as follows: Whereas, by a letter of 3 November 1998, a copy of
"The InternationalCourtof Justice,
Composed asabove, which was filed in the Registrythat sameday, the Agent
of the United States informed the Court that his
Having regard to Article 48 of the Statute of the Government concurred in Paraguay's discontinuanceof
Court andto Article 89of theRules of Court, the proceedingswithprejudice, and in its requestthat the
Having regard to the Application filed in the case beremoved fromtheList,
Registry of the Court on 3 April 1998, whereby the Places on record the discolltinuanceby the Republic
Republic of Paraguay instituted proceedings against the
United States of America for 'violations of the Vienna of Paraguay of the proceedings instituted by the
Applicationfiledon 3 April 1998;and
Convention on Cotisular Relations [of 24 April 19631' Ordersthatthe case beremoved fromthe List."
allegedlycommittedby the United States,
Summary of the Order of 10 November 1998