Sovereignty over Pulau Ligitan and Pulau Sipadan (Indonesia/Malaysia) - Fixing of time-limit for the filing of a Reply by each of the Parties

INTERNATIONAL COURT OF ruSTICE

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Press R.elease
Unofficial

No. 2000/33
20 October 2000

Sovereignty over Pulau Ligitan and Pulau Sipadan
(lndonesia/Malaysia)

Fixing of time-lim.it for the filing of a Reply by eacb of the Parties

TIIE HAGUE, 20 October 2000. The President of the International Court of Justice (ICJ),
Judge Gilbert Guillaume, has fixed 2 March 2001 as the time-limit for the filing of a Reply by each
of the Parties in the case concerning Sovereignty over Pulau Ligitan and Pulau Sipadan
(lndonesia!Malaysia).

The President took this decision by an Order 19 October 2000, taking into account the
provisionsof the Special Agreement by which the Parties had submitted the case to the Court and a
joint letter from thearties dated 14October 2000.In that letter, the Parties stated that they
intended to file Replies, and requested the Court to extendy three months the time-lirnit
prescribed in the Special Agreement for such filing. They stressed that the Special Agreement
otherwise remained unchanged.

The subsequent procedure bas been reserved for further decision.

History of the proceedings

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Indonesia and Malaysia jointly seisedthe 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 Courtof a Special Agreement, which was signed between them on
31 May 1997at Kuala Lumpw-and entered into force on 14May 1998.

In the Special Agreement, the Parties requested the Court "to determine on the basis of the
treaties, agreements and any other evidence fumished by [them], whether sovereignty over Pulau
Ligitan and Pulauipadan belong[ed] to the Republic of Indonesia or to Malaysia". They expressed
thew:ish to settle their disp"în the spirit of friendly relations existing between [them] as
enunciated in the 1976 Treaty of Amity and Co-operiniSoutheast Asîa" and declared in advance
that they would "accept the Judgmenthe Court given pursuant to [the] Special Agreement as final
and binding uponhem".

By Order of 10November 1998, the Court, taking into account the provisions of the Special
Agreement concerning the written pleadings, fixed 2 November 1999 and 2 March 2000 as
respective time-limits for the filingMemorial and Counter-Memorial by each of the Parties.
The Memorials were filed within the time-limit fixed. -2-

By Order of 14 September 1999, the Court, at the joint request of the Parties, extended to
2 July2000 the time-limit for the filing of the Counter-MemoriBy Order of 11 May 2000, the
President of the Court, at the joint request of the Parties, further extended to 2 August 2000
the time-limit for the filing of the Counter-MemoriaThe Counter-Memorials were filed within
the time-limit as thus extended.

The full text of the Order will shortly be available on the Com1's website
(http:1/www .icj-cij.org).

Information Office:
Mr. Arthur Witteveen, First Secretary ofthe Court+(31 70 302 2336)
Mrs.Laurence Blairon, Information Officer (tel:+ 31 70 302 2337)
E-mail address: information@icj-cij .org

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