Declaration by Judge ad hoc Gaja

Document Number
109-19990602-ORD-01-05-EN
Parent Document Number
109-19990602-ORD-01-00-EN
Document File
Bilingual Document File

DECLARATION OF JUDGE GAJA

While 1 agree with the Court's Order on al1points, 1 feel that some
further explanation should be given for the decision not to remove this
case from the List.
Article 38, paragraph 5, of the Rules of Court statesthat a case should

not be entered on the General List when the applicant State only relieson
the possibility offorum prorogatuin until the defendant State consents to
thejurisdiction of the Court for the case. Should a case of this type never-
theless have been entered on the List, Article 38, paragraph 5, implies
that it should be struck off. The same should apply when the applicant
State relies on a jurisdictional basis that is manifestly inexistent. This has
been done by theCourt - rightly in my opinion - in the parallel Orders
given in the cases Lrgality of Use of Force (Yugoslaviu v. Spain) and
( Yugosluviu v. United States of Americu).

1come now to the situation in which the Applicant invokes a jurisdic-
tional clause in a treaty, but has not shown that a reasonable connection
exists between the dispute submitted to the Court and the treaty includ-
ing the clause. This case seems to me analogous to the ones 1have con-
sidered above only if no such connection could be established at subse-
quent stages of the proceedings. When on the contrary a reasonable
connection may conceivably appear in the future, it would be too drastic
a solution to remove the case from the List. The applicant State should

therefore be given an opportunity to develop its position in a memorial
- whether or not its arguments are meritorious.
As a matter of judicial policy, this way of proceeding seems preferable
because it allows the Court to establish the truth of any allegation of a
wrongful act as serious as genocide.
A starting point for this solution is that, as the majority of the Court
held in the Judgment on the preliminary objections in the caseconcerning
Application of the Conilention on the Prevention and Punishnlent of the
Crime of Genocide (I.C.J. Reports 1996, p. 616, para. 32), the Genocide
Convention imposes on States parties to it the obligation not to commit

genocide. It appears to me clear that were Stateorgans involved in geno-
cide, the State would grossly infringe its obligation to prevent genocide as
set out in Article 1of the Convention.

(Signed) Giorgio GAJA.

Bilingual Content

DECLARATION OF JUDGE GAJA

While 1 agree with the Court's Order on al1points, 1 feel that some
further explanation should be given for the decision not to remove this
case from the List.
Article 38, paragraph 5, of the Rules of Court statesthat a case should

not be entered on the General List when the applicant State only relieson
the possibility offorum prorogatuin until the defendant State consents to
thejurisdiction of the Court for the case. Should a case of this type never-
theless have been entered on the List, Article 38, paragraph 5, implies
that it should be struck off. The same should apply when the applicant
State relies on a jurisdictional basis that is manifestly inexistent. This has
been done by theCourt - rightly in my opinion - in the parallel Orders
given in the cases Lrgality of Use of Force (Yugoslaviu v. Spain) and
( Yugosluviu v. United States of Americu).

1come now to the situation in which the Applicant invokes a jurisdic-
tional clause in a treaty, but has not shown that a reasonable connection
exists between the dispute submitted to the Court and the treaty includ-
ing the clause. This case seems to me analogous to the ones 1have con-
sidered above only if no such connection could be established at subse-
quent stages of the proceedings. When on the contrary a reasonable
connection may conceivably appear in the future, it would be too drastic
a solution to remove the case from the List. The applicant State should

therefore be given an opportunity to develop its position in a memorial
- whether or not its arguments are meritorious.
As a matter of judicial policy, this way of proceeding seems preferable
because it allows the Court to establish the truth of any allegation of a
wrongful act as serious as genocide.
A starting point for this solution is that, as the majority of the Court
held in the Judgment on the preliminary objections in the caseconcerning
Application of the Conilention on the Prevention and Punishnlent of the
Crime of Genocide (I.C.J. Reports 1996, p. 616, para. 32), the Genocide
Convention imposes on States parties to it the obligation not to commit

genocide. It appears to me clear that were Stateorgans involved in geno-
cide, the State would grossly infringe its obligation to prevent genocide as
set out in Article 1of the Convention.

(Signed) Giorgio GAJA.[Truductionj

Je souscris a l'ordonnance rendue par la Cour sous tous ses aspects,
mais je crois devoir exposer un peu plus longuement les raisons pour les-
quelles il a été décidd ée ne pas rayer la présenteespècedu rôle.
En vertu de l'article 38, paragraphe 5, du Règlementde la Cour, une

affaire ne doit pas êtreinscrite au rôle généralde la Cour quand 1'Etat
demandeur s'appuie exclusivement sur l'éventuelleapplication de la doc-
trine du jbrum prorogutum jusqu'à ce que 1'Etat défendeur accepte la
compétencede la Cour aux fins de I'affaire. Au cas où une affaire de ce
type aurait néanmoinsétéinscrite au rôle, ce paragraphe 5 de l'article 38
du Règlement impose implicitement de la rayer. Il doit en êtrede même
quand 1'Etatdemandeur table sur une base de compétence quiest mani-
festement inexistante. C'est ce que la Cour a fait -justement à mon avis
- dans les ordonnances qu'elle a rendues parallèlement dans les affaires
de la Licgitk de l'emploi de Iljbrce ( Yougosluvie c. Espugne) et Lickitt

l'emploi de la.force ( Yougosbvie c. Etuts- Unis d'Anîtrique) .
J'en viens à présenta la situation dans laquelle le demandeur invoque
une clause juridictionnelle figurant dans un traité, mais n'a pas prouvé
qu'il existe un lien raisonnable entre le différendsoumis à la Cour et le
traitéénonçantladite clause. L'affaire ne me sembleanalogue a cellesque
j'évoque ci-dessusqu'au cas où il ne serait pas possible d'établir untel
lien aux stades ultérieursde la procédure. Quand, au contraire, on peut
imaginer qu'un tel lien raisonnable soit ultérieurement établi, rayer
l'affaire du r6le serait une solution troD radicale. 11faudrait Dar consé-

quent donner ii1'Etat demandeur l'occasion de développer sa position
dans un mémoire - que ses arguments soient ou non valables.
Dans l'intérêm t êmede la justice, cette façon de procéderparaît préfé-
rable parce qu'elle permet à la Cour d'établirla véritéquand les alléga-
tions portent sur un acte illicite aussi grave que le génocide.
En l'occurrence, le point de départ de la solution est que, comme la
maioritédes membresde la Cour l'ont estiméen statuant sur les exce~tions
préliminairesdans l'affaire relativea I'Applicution de lu conilentionpour lu
préventionet lu rtpression du crimedegénocide (C.I.J.Recueil 1996, p. 616,

par. 32), la convention sur le génocide imposeaux Etats qui y sont parties
l'obligationde ne pas commettre degénocide. IIme paraît clair qu'au casoù
des organismes publics participeraient a un génocide,1'Etatserait coupable
d'un manquement flagrant à l'obligation qui lui incombe de prévenirle
génocide,comme il est prescrita l'article premierde la convention.

(Signé) Giorgio GAJA.

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Declaration by Judge ad hoc Gaja

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