Sovereignty over Pulau Ligitan and Pulau Sipadan (Indonesia/Malaysia) - The Court will hold public hearings from 3 to 12 June 2002

INTERNATIONAL COURTOFJUSTICE
Peace Palace, 2517 KJ The Hague. Tel: +31 (0)70 302 23 23. Cables: Intercourt,

The Hague. Fax: +31 (0)70 364 99 28. Telex: 32323. E-mail address:
mail@icj-cij .org. Internet address: http://v.'ww.iej-cij.erg.

Press Release
Unofficial

No. 2002/9
13March 2002

Sovereigntv over Pulau Ligitan and Pulau Sipadan
andonesia/Malaysia)

The Court will hold public hearings from 3 to 12 June 2002

TIIE HAGUE, 13 March 2002. The International Court of Justice (ICJ), principal judicial
organ of the United Nations, will hold public hearings in the case conceming Sovereignty over
Pulau Ligitan and Pu1au Sipadan (lndonesia/Malaysia) from Monday 3 to Wednesday
12 June 2002,at the Peace Palace in The Hague, seat ofthe Court.

History of the proceedings

Indonesia and Malaysia jointly seised the Court on 2 November 1998 of their dispute
concerning sovereignty over Pulau Ligitan and Pulau Sipadan, two islands in the Celebes Sea.
They did so by notifying the Court of a Special Agreement, which was signed between them on
31 May 1997at Kuala Lumpur and entered into force on 14May 1998.

In the Special Agreement, the Parties request the Court "to determine on the basis of the
treaties, agreements and any other evidence furnished by [them], whether sovereignty over
Ligitan and Pu1au Sipadan belong[s] to the Republic of Indonesia or to Malaysiait,they
express the wish to settletheir disputehe spirit offriendly relations existing between [them] as
enunciated in the 1976 Treaty of Amity and Co-operation in Southeast Asia" and declare in
advance that they will "accept the Judgment of the Court ... as final andbinding upon them".

Each of the Parties filed a Memorial, a Counter-Memorial and a Reply within the time-limits

fixed by the Court or itsPresident.

The Court rejected an application for permission to intervene filedby the Philippines (see the
Judgment of23 October 2001, Press Release No. 2001/28).

NOTE TO THE PRESS

1. The public hearings will be held in the Great Hall of Justice of the Peace Palace in
The Hague, Nether1ands. Mobile telephones and beepers are allowed in the courtprovided
they are turned off or set on silent moAny offending deviee willbe temporarily retained. -2-

2. Members of the Press will be entitled to attend on presentation of a press card. The tables
reserved for them are situated on the far left of the public entrance of the courtroom.

3. Photographs may be taken for a few minutes at the opening and at the end of the sittings.

Television crews may film, but advance notice should be givento the Information Department (see
paragraph 7).

4. In the Press Room, located on the ground floor of the Peace Palace (Room 5), the Court's

proceedings will be relayed through a loudspeaker.

5. The verbatim records of the public sittings will be published daily on the Court's website
(http://www.icj-cij.org).

6. Members of the Press who wish to make telephone calls may use the phone located in the
Press Room for collect calls or the public telephones in the Post Office in the basement of the
Peace Palace.

7. Mr. Arthur Witteveen, First Secretary of the Court (tel.: + 31 70 302 2336), and
Mrs. Laurence Blairon and Mr. Boris Heim, Information Officers (tel.: + 31 70 302 2337), are
available to deal with any requests for information and for making arrangements for television
coverage.