Aegean Sea Continental Shelf (Greece v. Turkey) - Opening of oral proceedings

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INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE

Peace Palace, 2517 KJ fhe Hague. Tel.92 44 41 Cables: Intercourt, ThHague

Communiqué -
unoftici~l
forhmedi~te releese

NO. 78/5
4 (?ctower 1978

Aegean Sea Continental Shelf :
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Opening of Oral Proceedings

The following informtisn is made available to the press by the

Registry of the International Court of Justice:

On ?;ondzy 9 October 1978, at I? a.m., the Internstioml court
of Justice will openpublicsittingsIn theGreat Ml1 of Justice at
m the Race Palace, The Hague, in order to he~r argument on the question
of its jurisdiction to deal with the dispute between Greece and Turkey
in the case concerning the Aegean Sea Continenbl Shelf.

It was on 10 August 1976 that Greeceinstit~ted proceedingskfore
the Court with regardta its dispute with nirkey on the delimitation of

the cantinentR1 skielf of the Aegesn Ses. Greece 1s asking the Court,
inter ah, ta declare thntthe Greek isl~~nds situated off theTurkish
cmst are entitled to the portion of the coatinentsl shelf whfch
~pperhlns to thcm according ta the applic-tble principles~nd rules of
intern?ttioml Law. to indicste the course of the boundary between the
portions of the ct;r,tinent%l shelf spperkinfng to the two respective
Stqtes and to declare th,i Turkey is not entitled to uridertake sny
activities on the Greek continent21 shelf,whether by explomtion, ex-
ploitstion, rese~rch or otherwise,wlthout the consent of GreeCe.

0 SimlLqneously with its institution of proceedings Grf?@ce requested
the Court to indicete, underArticle 41 of fts Stiitute, interlm messures
of protection directing both Stqtes, pending the Court's final judgment,
to refrain,unless wfth esch other 's consent, from al1 exploration sctivitg
ordin3.'seien-tific reseqrch with respect to the sress in dispute, rlnd from
any actionsth& might endanger their peîceful relations. On
21 September 19-76the Court mde an Cirderfinding, by belve votes to one,
that the circumstances were not such as ta require the exercise of its
power under Article 41 of the Statute to indicate interim meRsures of
., protection.

fn the sam ljrder the Court stressed thst tMs decision in no wny pre-
judged the question of Its jurisdlction on the meritsof the esse end
decided tht the firther proceedings should first be nddressed to the
question of its jurisdiction to entertain the dispute. Greecehss filed
a Memorinl an thisquestion. Turkey did not file sny Counter-Mernoris1
withfn the tfnie sllowed it for the purpose, which expired on 24 April 1978,
but on that àcite theReglstrqrof the Court rheceived s.letter in which the
Government of Turkey, believingthe Court to be wlthout jurisdiction,

infermed the Court timt it did not intend ta qppoint sn agent or submi-t
s Counter-Mernorial. 3, r 3 ?
,+3;'; ': ;",miexto pressc;omniqué NO. 78/5

TJOTEFOR TE3 :=SS flN!lTHE FiiBLSL"

1. The mblir: sittings?t tlne Co~rt tri11 be I-ien.rdfrom 1Ci ?.YI. %O

I ?,m. in the Grent H311 of Justice of the Pmce )lace (with 9 short
adjm~rnment -It li.2C 3.m. ). The qr~rnents delivered in French wfiLl be
sim~iltaneously interpreted into Englisk: .ind vice vers?, I;ost of t'rie
seats in the Hg11 are equipped viitkhesdphones ens'i~ling the interprets-
tion to be followed.

F!embers of the press will be entitledto attend sll the public

slttihgs on ~resenktion of an cidrnission c911d, which ml,- be obtqined
0 upan .bppliastion. The tsbles reserved for 'e'nemsre situnted on the
fsr left of the public enzr3nce to the courtroom.

Pnotopctphs ml- be tskeri before the opening 3nd d~ring the first
five mimites of e?.ch sftting. Filmin,-,Ter cinenq or television purpases
is however subject to çpeciql ~utkroriz?tian.

On the groun& floor of the Pwce Pslsce thereis -I press room
(wrn 51, nnd tnere ?re public telephones in the Post OfCice situsted
in the bnsement.
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2. 2cples, in tYLe~riÿiiiil -:sr-s.:mge, tk~ verbatln rocordof
erich sitting will be ?:mil-7ble iiithe wess rooi!7% the kiegiming of

.the norning following the hesring in qu-estion. Gthsr copieswill be
amilable ?t the NieuwspoortIntern?tion.~il Press Centre, Hofsirgel 12,
me Hqgue, in the course of Yne everiirigfollowi~g Yne sittifig in question,
mrislrttions of these reco~ds ,?re mde .it.ni4qbSetg the press ?t the sarric
.*%ces a pproximq tely 45 hou- l?ter.

3. ?Jb? C.. Poux, First Secretlir:rof the Cocrt (telephone extension 2j3),
@
wf 11 be av7ilqble to den1 with ?rqj requests for in2ormtion Crom..menkrs a?
the press. In the absence of Xr. POUX, iir. Noble (extensio n%) will
deal vrith suchenquiries.
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