Dissenting Opinion of Judge Gros (translation)

Document Number
056-19730712-ORD-01-02-EN
Parent Document Number
056-19730712-ORD-01-00-EN
Document File
Bilingual Document File

DISSENlrING OPINION OF JUDGE GROS

[Translation]

As the Court's Order in the case of the Federal Republicof Germanyv.
Icelandis virtually a replica of the Order of the same date in UnitedKing-
dom v. Iceland,1 feel it would be gratuitous for me to repeat the reasons,
for my dissent, which are the same.

1would only add thiat,inthe case of the Federal Republic of Germany,

it is even more obvious that the Court should have examined the situation
before proceeding to a decision, for the request addressed to the Court
on 22 June 1973contained three paragraphs of subrnissions which went
farther than a mere request that the interim measures indicated by the
Court on 17 August be confirmed. That same letter from the Agent of the
Federal Republic of Germany describes the situation with precision,
particularly in paragraphs 4,5 and 6 (and Annex A, which gives a list
of incidents), thus providing the necessary bases for the Court to examine
the prevailing circumr;tances.Paragraph 5 points out how force has been
used against vesselsof the Federal Republic of Germany, and at the end
of paragraph 6 the Applicant submits that the acts directed against the
vesselsof the Federal Republic of Germany have aggravated the dispute.

These indications iare the equivalent of those found in the United
Kingdom White Book (Cmnd. 5341,June 1973) and in the letter addressed
on 29 May 1973 to the Security Council by the Permanent Delegation of
the United Kingdom (Sl10936).
The present Order of the Court, in paragraph 3, takes the Icelandic
Government's telegrain of 2July1973 as a reply to the Federal Republic's
request, even though the text only refers to the United Kindom; there is
thus no direct reply, but it would not be straining probability to assume
that Iceland's protest also applies to the continuance of the interim
measures indicated by the Order of17August 1972 in its dispute with the
Federal Republic of Germany.

It appears to me th.atthe situation as described in the lett22 June
1973 from the Agent of the Federal Republic would have warranted an
examination by the Court of the prevailing circumstances, with the
assistance of the Applicant, on the basis of Arti41eof the Statute and
Article61 of the Rules, as well as of the question of the time-limit for the
further procedure, as 1argued in my dissenting opinion appended to the
Order made today in ,theUnited Kingdom case.

(Signed) AndréGROS.

8

Bilingual Content

OPINION DISSIDENTE DE M. GROS

L'ordonnance de la Cour dans l'affaire de la République fédérale
d'Allemagne contre l'Islande étant la reproduction intégralede l'ordon-
nance du mêmejour dans l'affaire du Royaume-Uni contre l'Islande, il
me semble inopportun de reproduire aussi les raisons de mon dissen-
timent qui sont les mêmes.
rajouterai seulement que, dans le cas de la Républiquefédérale d'Al-
lemagne, il est encore plus évidentqu'un examen préalablede la situation
par la Cour était nécessaire. En effet,la demande adressée àla Cour le
22juin 1973comportait trois paragraphes de conclusions qui allaient plus

loin qu'une demande pure et simple de confirmation des mesures conser-
vatoires indiquéespar la Cour le 17août 1972.Dans cette mêmelettre de
l'agent de la République fédérale d'Allemagne,la situation est décrite
de manière précise,notamment dans les paragraphes 4, 5, et 6 (et l'an-
nexe A pour une liste des incidents), ce qui donne les bases nécessaires
pour un examen par la Cour des circonstances du moment. Leparagraphe
5 relève l'emploide la force contre les navires de la Républiquefédérale
d'Allemagne et à la fin du paragraphe 6, le demandeur expose que les
actes dirigéscontre les navires de la Républiquefédérale d'Allemagnont
aggravéledifférend.
Cesindications constituent l'équivalentde cellesqui setrouvent dans le
livre blanc du Royaume-Uni (Cmnd. 5341,juin 1973)et dans la lettre de
la délégationpermanente du Royaume-Uni au Conseil de sécuritéendate
du 29 mai 1973(S/10936).

L'ordonnance de la Cour, paragraphe 3, tient pour une réponse à la
demande de la République fédéraled'Allemagne un télégrammedu
Gouvernement de l'Islande en date du 2juillet 1973bien que letexte ne se
réfèrequ'au Royaume-Uni; il n'y a donc pas de réponse directemais on
peut admettre sans invraisemblance que la protestation de l'Islande s'ap-
plique aussi au maintien des mesures conservatoires indiquéesdans le
différend avecla République fédérale d'Allemagnp ear l'ordonnance du
17août 1972.
La situation, telle qu'elle estdécritedans la lettre de l'agent de la Répu-
blique fédéraled'Allemagnedu 22juin, me paraît justifier l'examenpar la
Cour, avec le concours de la partie demanderesse, des circonstances du
moment sur la base de l'article 41 du Statut et de l'article 61 du Règle-
ment, aussi bien que de la question du délaipour la suite de la procédure,
ainsi que je l'ai exposédans mon opinion dissidente sur l'ordonnance de
cejour dans l'affairedu Royaume-Uni.

(Signé) AndréGROS.
8 DISSENlrING OPINION OF JUDGE GROS

[Translation]

As the Court's Order in the case of the Federal Republicof Germanyv.
Icelandis virtually a replica of the Order of the same date in UnitedKing-
dom v. Iceland,1 feel it would be gratuitous for me to repeat the reasons,
for my dissent, which are the same.

1would only add thiat,inthe case of the Federal Republic of Germany,

it is even more obvious that the Court should have examined the situation
before proceeding to a decision, for the request addressed to the Court
on 22 June 1973contained three paragraphs of subrnissions which went
farther than a mere request that the interim measures indicated by the
Court on 17 August be confirmed. That same letter from the Agent of the
Federal Republic of Germany describes the situation with precision,
particularly in paragraphs 4,5 and 6 (and Annex A, which gives a list
of incidents), thus providing the necessary bases for the Court to examine
the prevailing circumr;tances.Paragraph 5 points out how force has been
used against vesselsof the Federal Republic of Germany, and at the end
of paragraph 6 the Applicant submits that the acts directed against the
vesselsof the Federal Republic of Germany have aggravated the dispute.

These indications iare the equivalent of those found in the United
Kingdom White Book (Cmnd. 5341,June 1973) and in the letter addressed
on 29 May 1973 to the Security Council by the Permanent Delegation of
the United Kingdom (Sl10936).
The present Order of the Court, in paragraph 3, takes the Icelandic
Government's telegrain of 2July1973 as a reply to the Federal Republic's
request, even though the text only refers to the United Kindom; there is
thus no direct reply, but it would not be straining probability to assume
that Iceland's protest also applies to the continuance of the interim
measures indicated by the Order of17August 1972 in its dispute with the
Federal Republic of Germany.

It appears to me th.atthe situation as described in the lett22 June
1973 from the Agent of the Federal Republic would have warranted an
examination by the Court of the prevailing circumstances, with the
assistance of the Applicant, on the basis of Arti41eof the Statute and
Article61 of the Rules, as well as of the question of the time-limit for the
further procedure, as 1argued in my dissenting opinion appended to the
Order made today in ,theUnited Kingdom case.

(Signed) AndréGROS.

8

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Dissenting Opinion of Judge Gros (translation)

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