Delimitation of the Maritime Boundary in the Gulf of Maine Area (Canada/United States of America) - Hearing to open on Monday 2 April 1984 at 3 p.m.

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I~~ER'NATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE

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

Telex 32323

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une fficiul
No 84/ for ~mmediate release
28 March 1984

Delimitation of the Maritime Boundary in the
Gulf of Maine Area

(~anada/United States of America)

Hearing to open on Monday 2 April 1984 at 3 p.m.

The following information is made available to the press by the
Registry of the Inter~iational Court of Justice:

It is confirmed t:hat the hearing in the case concerning Delimitation

of the Maritime Boundary in the Gulf of Maine Area between Canada and the
United States will open on Monday 2 April 1984 at 3 p.m.

Canada and the Uriited States have submitted to a chamber of the

International Court of Justice, specially constituted for the purpose, a
dispute over delimitation of the maritime boundary between the two
countries' respective fishing zones and continental shelves lying off the
Atlantic Coast in the Gulf of Maine area. The case was filed on
25 November 1981 by means of a Special Agreement.

The Chamber was c~onstituted by an Order of the Court on
20 January 1982. It i.s composed as follows: Judge Ago, President;
Judges Gros, Mosler artd Schwebel; Judge ad hoc Cohen. The case
represents the first time in the Court's history that the Parties have

made use of the possibility enshrined in the Statute and Rules of Court
of referring their dispute to a special chamber, instead of to the Court
in plenary session.

The oral proceedings which are to begin on 2 April 1984 have been
preceded by a written phase during which Canada and the United States
have submitted three rounds of pleadings. The first round, the

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Memorials...Memorials, was filed on 27 September 1982; the second, the
Counter-Memorials, on 28 June 1983; and the third, the Replies, on

12 December 1983.

The hearing is expected to last several weeks.

NOTE FOR THE LRE'SS

1. The public sittings will be held in the Great Hall of Justice of w
the Peace Palace. Members of the Press will be entitled to attend them
after presentation of a press identification card and provision of a

photocopy thereof. The tables reserved for the Press are situated on the
far left of the public entrance to the courtroom.

2. Photographs may be taken before the opening and during the first
few minutes of the sitting. Filming for cinema or television purposes is

however subject to special authorizztion.

3. In the Press Room, located on the ground floor of the
Peace Palace (Room 5), the oral proceedings will be relayed through a

loudspeaker .

4. Members of the Press may use only the public telephones in the
Post Office in the basement of the Palace.

5. Mr. C. Poux, First Secretary of the Court (telephone extension
233), or, in his absence, Mr. Noble (extension 248) will be available to
deal with any requests for information by members of the Press.