Nottebohm (Liechtenstein v. Guatemala) - Opening of the oral proceedings on Thursday, 10th February, 1955

1.C.J. CommuniquéNo, 54/21
(Unofficial),

The following information from the Registry of the International
Court of Justice has been mmmunicated to the Press:

The openkg of the oral proceedings in the Nottebohm case (Merits)
has been fked for Thursday, February lOth, 1455, at 11 a,m.

The Nattebohm case was bmught before the International Court of
Justace by an Application of the Governrnent of the Principality of
Liechtmstein agahst the Republic of Guatemala dated 27th Decmber,
1951. The Application statedthat theGovernment of Guatemala had
taken measures against the person of MI-, Friedrich Nottebohm(alleged
to be a national of ~iechtenstein and against his property in
violatian of the generall y ecognized principles of international law;
.
md it claimed inter alia the payment of compensation to Nr, Mottebohm
as well as the restoration of his assetç whichhad ben confiscated.

Following the deys it'of the Application, the Court f ixed tirne-
limits for the filhg of the fkst two pleadhgs: the Mernorial of
Liechtenstein and the Counter-Mernorial of Guatemala, . These tirne-
limits were extended at the request of the Partfee, Before the
expiry of fhe the-lwt fixed for the deposit of the Counter-Mernorial,
' September 15th, 1952, the Gaverment of Guatemala addressed a

chmmunicatlo no the Court designed to challenge its jurisdiction,
Follewing this Prelimlnar Oybjection, the Parties informed the Court
an several occasions of theli-intention to seek a settlement of khek
disputeby negnt iation. Finaliy, not having been informed that such
negot iation had achieved any r esult,the Courtopened the oral 9
proceedings on the Preliminar ybjection in November, 1953, By a
Judgment dated November l&h, 1453, the Court re jected the Objection
and fixed new time-l:'Lmit;s for the deposii of the remaining pleadings
an the morits: Count er-Mernorial of Guatemala, Reply of
Liechtenstein Rejokder of Guatemala. Following several extensfaias
granted at the request of the Parties, the last of these pleadings

was deposited this monthand since then the case has been ready for
hearing ,

The two Parties do not have upon the Bench a Judge of the*
nationality. Accordinglytkey have avalled themselves of thek ri@
under Artlcle 31, paragraph 3, of the Statute and have chosen Judges
ad hoc. The Governent of Liechtenstei nas chosen M. Paul.
Guggenheim, Professo orf Tublic International Law at the lnstitut
universitaire de HautPs Xtudes Int ernationales, Geneva, and a
mernber of the Permanent Court of &rbitration; the Goverment of
Guatemala, has chosen Lic encisdo Carlos ~arcca Bauer, former Chaimm

of the Guaternalan DeZeg-i'ttiato the General dssernbly of the United
Nations and at present a Uni~ersiky professor.

The idague, November 26th,1954. .