Written Statement of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the Application for Permission to Intervene by the Government of Equatorial Guinea

HONOURABLE ATTORNEY-GENERAL
f
OF THE FEDERATION OF NIGERIA

' AND MINISTER OF JUSTICE
FEDERAL MINISTRY OF JUSTICE
SHEHU SIIAGARI WAY.
MAITAMA ABUJA.

P.M.U. No192
Tdegrams: Solicifor
Telephone:S:?J5194
Fax:S235208

Mr. Eduardo Valencia Ospina,
The Registrar,
International Court of Justice,
Peace Palace,
The Hague 2517K~,
Netherlands.

Sir,
CASE CONCERNING THE LANO AND MARITIME
BOUNDARY BETWEEN CAMEROOA NNDNIGERIA
{CAMEROON V. NIGERIA):

Application by Equatorial Guinea for
Permission to Intervene

I have the honour to refer to the Deputy-Registrar•s

letter of 30 June 1999 giving Nigeria the opportunity to furnish

written observations on Equatorial Guinea's Application for

Permission to Intervene.

The Federal Republic of Nigeria notes that Equatorial

Guinea does not seek to intervene as a party in the Proceedings.
Nigeria further notes that according to its App~ication,

Equatorial Guinea had no prior notice {any more than did Nigeria)
·'
of Cameroon's maritime claim as announced in its Memorial, and

that there have been no negotiations on that claim, nor any

request for negotiations.

Nigeria and Equatorial Guinea have aqreed that the

delimitation of their respective maritime zones is to be deterrnined
_.by agreement fôllowing negotiations in accordance with Articles 76

and 83 of the 1982 Convention on the Law of the Sea. Nigeriaï
1 - 2 -

l confirms that negotiations have been held between Nigeria and

Equatorial Guinea on their re3pective maritime elaims, but that

those negotiations ha~e as yet reached no agreement, either at the

level of principl or of detail. In particular Nigeria does not

accept the position of Equatorial Guinea with respect to the

delimitation of the maritime zones lying between their respective

coasts.

Whether or not Equatorial Guinea's Application is accepted,

it will in Nigeria's view make no difference to the legal position

of Nigeria to the present proceedings, or to the jurisdiction of

the Court. On that basis, Nigeria leaves it to the Court to judge

whether and to what extent it is appropriate or useful to grant

Equatorial Guinea•s Application. Nigeria would, however, hope that,

"if the Application is granted, it would be done in such a way as not

to affect the timetable for the non-maritime aspects of the case

presently before the Court.

Please accept, Sir, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Yours faithfully

'

1 ..'
~ t ' )' t .... .i,
Mr~1 Kanu Godwin Agabi,'S~N ·-
Hon. Attorney-General of the Federation
and Minister of Justice,
Agent of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.