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INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE
PeacePalace, 2517KI The Hague.Tel. (070 -3924441). Cables:Intercourt, The Hague.
Telefax (070 -36499 28).Telex32323.
- Communiqué
unofficial
for iminediate release
No. 90/7
30 May 1990
Land, Island and Maritime Frontier Dispute
(El Salvador/Honduras)
Hearings to open on Tuesday 5 June 1990
on Nicaragua's Application for permission to intervene in the case
The following information is communicated to the Press by the
Registry of the International Court of Justice:
On 17 November 1989 the Republic of Nicaragua filed in the Registry
of the Court an Application for permission to intervene in the above
case. In an Order of 28 February 1990 the Court found that it was
"for the Chamber formed to deal with the ... case to decide whether the
application for permission to intervene under Article 62 of the Statute
filed by the Republic of Nicaragua ... should be granted" (see Press
Communiqué No. 90/6 of 6 March 1990).
A public sitting, at which the Chamber will hear arguments on the
application for permission to intervene, will open on Tuesday
5 June 1990, at 11 a.m., in the Great Hall of Justice of the Peace Palace
at The Hague. The Chamber will be addressed by representatives of
Nicaragua, El Salvador and Honduras.
Since the Court did not include upon the Bench any judge of the
nationality of either El Salvador or Honduras, each proceeded to choose a
judge ad hoc in accordance with Article 31 of the Statute. El Salvador
chose Mr. N. Valticos and Honduras chose Mr. M. Virally. Both made the
solemn declaration required by the Statute and the Rules of Court at the
inaugural public sitting of the Chamber on 9 November 1987.
After the death of Mr. Virally, the Agent of Honduras, by a letter
dated 9 February 1989, informed the Court that his Government had chosen
Mr. Santiago Torres Bernardez to sit as Judge ad hoc in the place of
Judge Virally. By an Order dated 13 December 1989 the Court took note of
the death of Judge Virally and the nomination of Mr. Torres Ber~rdez and
of a number of communications £rom the Parties, noted that it appeared
that El Salvador had n.o objection to the choice of Mr. Torres Ber~rdez,
and that no objection to that choice appeared to the Court itself, and
declared the Chamber t.o be composed as follows: Judge Sette-Camara,
President; Judges Oda. and Sir Robert Jennings; Judges ad hoc Valticos
and Torres Bernardez.
The new Judge ad hoc, whose succinct biography is appended to this
Communiqué, will make the solemn declaration at the public sitting
announced above. NOTE FOR THE PRESS
1. The public Sitting will be held in the Great Na11 of Justice of
the Peace Palace. Members of the Press will be entitled to attend on
presentation of an admission card, which may be obtained upon
application. The tables reserved for them are situated on the far left
of the public entrance of the courtroom.
2. Photographs may be taken before the opening, during the first
five minutes of the sittings; and also for a few minutes towards the
end. Filming for cinema or television purposes is however subject to
special authorization.
3. In the Press Room, located on the ground floor of the
Peace Palace (Room 51, 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. W
5. Mr. Witteveen, Secretary of the Court (telephone extension 233)
or, in his absence, Mrs. El-Erian (telephone extension 2341, will be
available to deal with any requests for information by members of the
Press. Mr. SantiagoTORRESBERNARDEZ
Born in Vigo (Spain)on 18 November1929.
Memberof the Bar of Madrid.
Adviserto the Spanish ForeignMinistry(questions relatingto the
peaceful settlemen of internationadlisputes).
Memberof the PermanentCourtof Arbitration.
'*Licenciado(1952)and Doctorof Law (1959)of theUniversity of
Valladolid. "Di~lÔméd'études supérieure euro~éennes"(1955)and Doctor
of Law (1957)of the Universityof Saar.
Assistantat the Instituteof InternationaLlaw and Intenational
Relations of theUniversityof Würzburg(1956-1958).
LegalOfficer(1959-1975) an Deputy-Directo(r1975-1980)of the
Codification Divisio at the Officeof LegalAffairsof the
UnitedNationsOrganization.UnitedNations Expert on the Committee set
up by the International Committoee the RedCrossto study the
prohibitionof weapons whichmay bedeemedto be excessively injurious or
to have indiscriminateeffects(1973). Memberof the United Nations
delegationto the Diplomatic Conferenc on the Reaffirmatioand
Developmentof HumanitarianInternationaLlaw applicable in Armed
Conflicts(1974,1976). United Nations Observer duringthe referendut mo
ratifythe new treatiesrelatingto the PanamaCanal(1977). Directorof Srudiesat theCentrefor Studiesand Researchof The
HagueAcademyof International Law (1970)and lecturerinvitedto the
BuenosAires sessionof theAcademy External Program( me972). Invited
to teachat the Caracas sessioonf the UnitedNations Institutfeor
Trainingand Research(UNITAR)(1973).
Registrarof the InternationalCourtof Justice (1980-1986).
Registrarof theArbitration Tribunalfor the determinationof the
maritime boundary between Senea gadlGuinea-Bissau(1988-1989).
Memberof the Instituteof InternationalLaw.
Memberof the Société francaiseDour le droit internationatl,e
InternationalLaw Association,the AmericanSocietyof International Law
and the InstitutoHis~ano-Luso-Americad no DerechoInternacional.
Honorary Memberof the Asociaciones~anolade ~rofesoresde derecho
internacionalY relaciones internacionales.
A memberof the teachingstaffof the Instituto UniversitariOrtega W
y Gasset(Madrid).
Awardedthe Gran Cruzdel MéritoCivil(Spain).
Authorof numerouspublications in the fielof internationallaw.
Land, Island and Maritime Frontier Dispute (El Salvador/Honduras) - Hearings to open on Tuesday 5 June 1990 on Nicaragua's Application for permission to intervene in the case