Pulp Mills on the River Uruguay (Argentina v. Uruguay) - Fixing of time-limits for the filing of the initial pleadings

INTERNATIONAL COURTOFWSTICE

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Press Release
Unofficial

No. 2006/29
17 July 2006

Pulp Mills on the River Uruguay
(Argentina v. Uruguay)

Fixing of time-limits for the filing of the initial pleadings

THE HAGUE, 17 July 2006.The International Court of Justice (ICJ), principal judicial
organ of the United Nations, has fixed time-limits for the filing of initial pleadings in the case
concerning Pulp Mills on the River Uruguay (Argentina v. Uruguay).

In its Order dated 13 July 2006, the Court fixed 15 January 2007 as the time-limit for the
filingof a Memorial by Argentina and 20 July 2007 as the time-limit for the filing of a

Counter-Memorial by Uruguay.

The Court adopted the Order taking account of the views of the Parties as expressed by their
Agents at a meeting which the President of the Court held with them on 13 July 2006.

The subsequent procedure has been reserved for further decision.

History of the proceedings

On 4 May 2006 Argentina filed an Application instituting proceedings against Uruguay
concerning alleged breaches by Uruguay of obligations incumbent upon it under the Statute of the
River Uruguay, a treaty signed by the two States on 26 February 1975 (hereinafter "the
1975 Statute"), with a view to establishing the joint machinery necessary for the optimum and
rational utilizationthat part of the river which constitutes their joint boundary.

In its Application Argentina charges Uruguay with having unilaterally authorized the
construction of two pulp mills on the River Uruguay without complying with the obligatory prior
notification and consultation procedureArgentina claims that these mills will damage the
environment of the river and areas affected by it.

As basis for the Court's jurisdiction, Argentina cites the first paragraph of Article 60 of the
1975 Statute, which provides that any dispute concerning the interpretation or application of the

Statute which cannat be settled by direct negotiations may be submitted by either party to the
Court.

Argentina's Application was accompanied by a request for the indication of provisional
measures requiring Uruguay, first, to suspend forthwith the authorizations for the construction of
the mills and hait building work on them pending a final decision by the Court and, second, to
co-operate with Argentina in the protection and preservation of the aquatic environment of the -2-

River Uruguay, to refrain from taking any further unilateral action with respect to the construction
of the mills which does not comply with the 1975 Statute, as weil as refraining from any other

action which might aggravate the dispute or render its seUlement more difficult.

Public hearings were held on 8 and 9 June 2006 on the request for the indication of
provisional measures, and on 13 July 2006, at a public sitting, the President of the Court read the

Order, in which the Court found, by 14 votes to 1, that the circumstances, as they currently
presented themselves to the Court, were not such as to require the exercise of its power under
Article41 of the Statute to indicate provisional measures.

The full textof the Court's Order fixing time-limits will be available shortly on the Court's
website.

Information Department:

Mrs. Laurence Blairon, Head of Department ( + 31 70 302 23 36)
Messrs. Boris Heim and Maxime Schouppe, Information Officers ( + 31 70 302 23 37)
E-mail address: information @icj-cij.org