Maritime Delimitation in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean (Costa Rica v. Nicaragua) - Land Boundary in the Northern Part of Isla Portillos (Costa Rica v. Nicaragua) - The Court fixes time-limit

INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE
Peace Palace, Carnegieplein 2, 2517 KJ The Hague, Netherlands
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Website: www.icj-cij.org Twitter Account: @CIJ_ICJ

Press Release
Unofficial

No. 2017/8
7 February 2017

Maritime Delimitation in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean (Costa Rica v. Nicaragua)

Land Boundary in the Northern Part of Isla Portillos (Costa Rica v. Nicaragua)

The Court fixes time-limits for the filing of written pleadings in the case concerning
Land Boundary in the Northern Part of Isla Portillos (Costa Rica v. Nicaragua)
and joins the proceedings in the two cases

THE HAGUE, 7 February 2017. By an Order of 2 February 2017, the International Court of

Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, has fixed 2 March 2017 and
18 April 2017 as the respective time-limits for filing of a Memorial by the Republic of Costa Rica
and a Counter-Memorial by the Republic of Nicaragua in the case concerning the Land Boundary
in the Northern Part of Isla Portillos (Costa Rica v. Nicaragua).

By the same Order, the Court joined the proceedings in the cases concerning Maritime
Delimitation in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean (Costa Rica v. Nicaragua) and the Land
Boundary in the Northern Part of Isla Portillos (Costa Rica v. Nicaragua).

It is recalled that, on 25 February 2014, Costa Rica instituted proceedings against Nicaragua

with regard to a dispute concerning “the establishment of single maritime boundaries between the
two States in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, respectively, delimiting all maritime areas
appertaining to each of them, in accordance with the applicable rules and principles of international
law” (hereinafter “the case concerning Maritime Delimitation”).

On 16 January 2017, Costa Rica instituted proceedings against Nicaragua with regard to a
dispute concerning “the precise location of the land boundary separating the Los Portillos/Harbor
Head Lagoon sandbar from Isla Portillos” and the “establishment of a military camp by Nicaragua
on the beach of Isla Portillos” (hereinafter “the case concerning Isla Portillos”). In its Application,

Costa Rica requested the Court to join the new proceedings with those in the case concerning
Maritime Delimitation.

In light of the information obtained by the President pursuant to Article 31 of the Rules of
the Court, and taking into account the nature of the case, the Court, by its Order of
2 February 2017, decided that the Parties should each have a period of one month and a half at their
disposal, from the filing of the Application, in which to prepare their respective written pleadings
in the case concerning Isla Portillos.

In view of the claims made by Costa Rica in the case concerning Isla Portillos and the close

link between those claims and certain aspects of the dispute in the case concerning Maritime
Delimitation, the Court decided that the proceedings in the two cases should be joined. As stated in - 2 -

the Order, such a joinder will allow the Court to address simultaneously the totality of the various
interrelated and contested issues raised by the Parties, including any questions of fact or law that

are common to the disputes presented.

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The full text of the Order will be available shortly on the Court’s website.

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Note: The Court’s press releases do not constitute official documents.

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Information Department:

Mr. Andrey Poskakukhin, First Secretary of the Court, Head of Department (+31 (0)70 302 2336)
Mr. Boris Heim, and Ms Joanne Moore, Information Officers (+31 (0)70 302 2337)
Mr. Avo Sevag Garabet, Associate Information Officer (+31 (0)70 302 2394)
Ms Genoveva Madurga, Administrative Assistant (+31 (0)70 302 2396)