INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE
Peace Palace, Carnegieplein 2, 2517 KJ The Hague, Netherlands
Tel.: +31 (0)70 302 2323 Fax: +31 (0)70 364 9928
Website: www.icj-cij.org
Press Release
Unofficial
No. 2014/16
3 April 2014
Maritime Delimitation in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean
(Costa Rica v. Nicaragua)
Fixing of time-limits for the filing of the initial pleadings
THE HAGUE, 3 April 2014. The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial
organ of the United Nations, has fixed time-limits for the filing of initial pleadings in the case
concerning Maritime Delimitation in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean (Costa Rica v.
Nicaragua).
By an Order of 1 April 2014, the Court fixed 3 February 2015 and 8 December 2015 as the
respective time-limits for the filing of a Memorial by the Republic of Costa Rica and a
Counter-Memorial by the Republic of Nicaragua.
The Court made the Order having regard to the views of the Parties. The subsequent
procedure has been reserved for further decision.
History of the proceedings
On 25 February 2014, the Republic of Costa Rica instituted proceedings against the Republic
of Nicaragua with regard to a “[d]ispute concerning maritime delimitation in the Caribbean Sea and
the Pacific Ocean”.
In its Application, Costa Rica requests the Court
“to determine the complete course of a single maritime boundary between all the
maritime areas appertaining, respectively, to Costa Rica and to Nicaragua in the
Caribbean Sea and in the Pacific Ocean, on the basis of international law”.
The Applicant “further requests the Court to determine the precise geographical co-ordinates
of the single maritime boundaries in the Caribbean Sea and in the Pacific Ocean”.
Further details can be found in Press Release No. 2014/11 of 26 February 2014, available on
the Court’s website (www.icj-cij.org) under the heading “Press Room”/“Press Releases”.
___________ - 2 -
Note: The Court’s press releases are prepared by its Registry for information purposes only and do
not constitute official documents.
___________
The full text of the Order will be available shortly on the Court’s website.
___________
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations.
It was established by the United Nations Charter in June 1945 and began its activities in
April 1946. The seat of the Court is at the Peace Palace in The Hague (Netherlands). Of the six
principal organs of the United Nations, it is the only one not located in New York. The Court has a
twofold role: first, to settle, in accordance with international law, legal disputes submitted to it by
States (its judgments have binding force and are without appeal for the parties concerned); and,
second, to give advisory opinions on legal questions referred to it by duly authorized United
Nations organs and agencies of the system. The Court is composed of 15 judges elected for a
nine-year term by the General Assembly and the Security Council of the United Nations.
Independent of the United Nations Secretariat, it is assisted by a Registry, its own international
secretariat, whose activities are both judicial and diplomatic, as well as administrative. The official
languages of the Court are French and English. Also known as the “World Court”, it is the only
court of a universal character with general jurisdiction.
The ICJ, a court open only to States for contentious proceedings, and to certain organs and
institutions of the United Nations system for advisory proceedings, should not be confused with the
other mostly criminal judicial institutions based in The Hague and adjacent areas, such as the
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY, an ad hoc court created by the
Security Council), the International Criminal Court (ICC, the first permanent international criminal
court, established by treaty, which does not belong to the United Nations system), the Special
Tribunal for Lebanon (STL, an independent judicial body composed of Lebanese and international
judges, which is not a United Nations tribunal and does not form part of the Lebanese judicial
system), or the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA, an independent institution which assists in
the establishment of arbitral tribunals and facilitates their work, in accordance with the Hague
Convention of 1899).
___________
Information Department:
Mr. Andrey Poskakukhin, First Secretary of the Court, Head of Department (+31 (0)70 302 2336)
Mr. Boris Heim, Information Officer (+31 (0)70 302 2337)
Ms Joanne Moore, Associate Information Officer (+31 (0)70 302 2394)
Ms Genoveva Madurga, Administrative Assistant (+31 (0)70 302 2396)
Maritime Delimitation in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean (Costa Rica v. Nicaragua) - Fixing of time-limits for the filing of the initial pleadings