Declaration by Judge Spiropoulos (as appended immediately after the judgment)

Document Number
047-19621221-JUD-01-01-EN
Parent Document Number
047-19621221-JUD-01-00-EN
Document File
Bilingual Document File

The Court concludes that Article 7 of the Mandate is a treaty or
convention still in force within the meaning of Article 37 of the
Statute of the Court and that the dispute is one which is envisaged
in the said Article7 and cannot be settled by negotiation. Conse-
quently the Court is competent to hear the dispute on the merits.

For these reasons,

by eight votes to seven,

finds that ithas jurisdiction to adjudicate upon the merits of the
dispute.

Done in English and in French, the English text being authori-
tative, at the Peace Palace, The Hague, this twenty-first day of
December,one thousand nine hundred and sixty-two, in four copies,
one of which will be placed in the archives of the Court and the
others transmitted to the Govemment of the Empire of Ethiopia,
the Govemment of the Republic of Liberia and the Government
of the Republic of South Africa, respectively.

(Signed) B. WINIARSKI,
President.

(Signed) GARNIER-COIGNET,
Registrar.

Judge SPIROPOULO mSakes the following declaration:
Although the interest of the Governments of Liberia and Ethiopia
that the Court should pass upon the violations by South Africa of
the Mandate for South West Africa alleged by those Governnients

is entirely comprehensible, it is not possible for me to follow the
rksoning of the Court which leads itto hold that it has jurisdiction.

Can it readily be found that the Mandate isa "treaty or conven-
tion" within the meaning of Article 37 of the Statute ofthe Inter-
national Court of Justice; that the Mandate, as a "treaty", survived
the collapse of the League of Nations (of which the forma1 act of
"dissolution" of the League of Nations was the result); that
Article 7of the Mandate-assuming the Mandate to be in force--
32can be relied on by States none of which is a "hIember of the
League of Nations", that organization no longer being in existence?
It appears to me that any attempt to give an affirmative answer
to these questions, and they are not the only ones which arise, must
necessanly be based on arguments which, from the standpoint of

law, do not seem to me to have sufficient weight.
In these circumstances it is not possible for me to concur in the
Court's conclusion. To be upheld, the Court's junsdiction must be
very clearly and unequivocally established, and that does not seem
to me to be the case here.

Judges BUSTAMANT E RIVEROand JESSUP and Judge ad %oc
Sir Louis MBANEFO append to the Judgment of the Court statements
of their Separate Opinions.

President WINIARSKa Ind Judge BASDEVANaT ppend to the Judg-
ment of the Court statements of their Dissenting Opinions; Judges
Sir Percy SPENDERand Sir Gerald FITZMAURIC Eppend to the
Judgment of the Court a statement of their Joint Dissenting
Opinion; Judge MORELLI and Judge ad hoc VAN WYK append to
the Judgment of the Court statements of their Dissenting Opinions.

(InitialledB. W.

(Initialled) -C.

Bilingual Content

The Court concludes that Article 7 of the Mandate is a treaty or
convention still in force within the meaning of Article 37 of the
Statute of the Court and that the dispute is one which is envisaged
in the said Article7 and cannot be settled by negotiation. Conse-
quently the Court is competent to hear the dispute on the merits.

For these reasons,

by eight votes to seven,

finds that ithas jurisdiction to adjudicate upon the merits of the
dispute.

Done in English and in French, the English text being authori-
tative, at the Peace Palace, The Hague, this twenty-first day of
December,one thousand nine hundred and sixty-two, in four copies,
one of which will be placed in the archives of the Court and the
others transmitted to the Govemment of the Empire of Ethiopia,
the Govemment of the Republic of Liberia and the Government
of the Republic of South Africa, respectively.

(Signed) B. WINIARSKI,
President.

(Signed) GARNIER-COIGNET,
Registrar.

Judge SPIROPOULO mSakes the following declaration:
Although the interest of the Governments of Liberia and Ethiopia
that the Court should pass upon the violations by South Africa of
the Mandate for South West Africa alleged by those Governnients

is entirely comprehensible, it is not possible for me to follow the
rksoning of the Court which leads itto hold that it has jurisdiction.

Can it readily be found that the Mandate isa "treaty or conven-
tion" within the meaning of Article 37 of the Statute ofthe Inter-
national Court of Justice; that the Mandate, as a "treaty", survived
the collapse of the League of Nations (of which the forma1 act of
"dissolution" of the League of Nations was the result); that
Article 7of the Mandate-assuming the Mandate to be in force--
32 La Cour conclut que l'article 7 du Mandat est un traité ou une
convention encore en vigueur au sens de l'article 37 du Statut de

la Cour, que le différend est de ceux qui sont prévus audit article 7
et qu'il n'est pas susceptible d'êtreréglépar des négociations. En
conséquence, la Cour est compétente pour connaître du différend
au fond.

Par ces motifs,

par huit voix contre sept,

dit qu'elle est compétente pour statuer sur le fond du différend.

Fait en anglais et en français, le texte anglais faisant foi, au
Palais de la Paix, à La Haye, le vingt et un décembre mil neuf
cent soixante-deux, en quatre exemplaires, dont l'un restera déposé

aux archives de la Cour et dont les autres seront transmis respec-
tivement au Gouvernement de l'Empire de l'Ethiopie, au Gouver-
nement de la République du Libéria et au Gouvernement de la
République sud-africaine.

Le Président,
(Signé) B. WINIARSKI.

Le Greffier,
(Signé) GARNIER-COIGNET.

hl. SPIROPOUI.~~ j,ge, fait la déclaration suivante:
Bien que l'intérêtdes Gouvernements de Libéria et de l'Éthiopie
de voir la Cour se prononcer sur les violations par l'Afrique du Sud

du Mandat pour le Sud-Ouest africain alléguéespar lesdits Gouver-
nements soit parfaitement compréhensibleil ne nous est pas possible
de suivre le raisonnement de la Cour qui induit celle-ci à se déclarer
compétente.
Peut-on aisément dire que le Mandat constitue un (traité ou une
convention 1au sens de l'article 37 du Statut de la Cour internatio-
nale de Justice, que le Mandat, en tant que ((traité »,ait survécu à
l'effondrement de la Société desNations (l'acte formel de la ((disso-
lution ))de la Sociétédes Nations en était la conséquence), que
l'article7 du Mandat - en supposant celui-ci en vigueur - pusse

32can be relied on by States none of which is a "hIember of the
League of Nations", that organization no longer being in existence?
It appears to me that any attempt to give an affirmative answer
to these questions, and they are not the only ones which arise, must
necessanly be based on arguments which, from the standpoint of

law, do not seem to me to have sufficient weight.
In these circumstances it is not possible for me to concur in the
Court's conclusion. To be upheld, the Court's junsdiction must be
very clearly and unequivocally established, and that does not seem
to me to be the case here.

Judges BUSTAMANT E RIVEROand JESSUP and Judge ad %oc
Sir Louis MBANEFO append to the Judgment of the Court statements
of their Separate Opinions.

President WINIARSKa Ind Judge BASDEVANaT ppend to the Judg-
ment of the Court statements of their Dissenting Opinions; Judges
Sir Percy SPENDERand Sir Gerald FITZMAURIC Eppend to the
Judgment of the Court a statement of their Joint Dissenting
Opinion; Judge MORELLI and Judge ad hoc VAN WYK append to
the Judgment of the Court statements of their Dissenting Opinions.

(InitialledB. W.

(Initialled) -C.êtreinvoqué par des États dont aucun n'est (Membre de la Société
des Nations »,cette dernière organisation n'existant plus?
Il nous semble que toute tentativede donner une réponse affir-
mative à ces questions, et ce ne sont pas les seules qui se posent,
est nécessairement fondée sur des arguments qui, au point de vue
du droit, ne nous paraissent pas assez solides.
Dans ces conditions, il ne nous est pas possible de partager la
conclusion de la Cour. La compétencede la Cour, pour êtreadmise,
doit êtreétablie de façon claire et non équivoque et ceci ne nous

paraît pas êtrele cas dans la présente affaire.

MM. BUSTAMANTE Y RIVEROet JESSUP, juges, et sir Louis
MBANEFOj,uge ad hoc, joignentà l'arrêtles exposésde leur opinion
individuelle.

MM. WINIARSKI,Président, et BASDEVANTj,uge, joignent à
l'arrêtles exposésde leur opinion dissidente; sir Percy SPENDERet
sir Gerald FITZIVIAURIC jE,es, joignentà l'arrêtl'exposé commun
de leur opinion dissidente;MM. MORELLIj,uge, et VAN WYK, juge
ad hoc, joignent à l'arrêtles exposés de leur opinion dissidente.

(Paraphé) G.-C.

(Paraphé) B. W.

Document file FR
Document Long Title

Declaration by Judge Spiropoulos (as appended immediately after the judgment)

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