Guatemala's Territorial, Insular and Maritime Claim (Guatemala/Belize) Extension of the time-limits for the filing of the initial pleadings

INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE
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Press Release
Unofficial
No. 2020/12
24 April 2020
Guatemala’s Territorial, Insular and Maritime Claim (Guatemala/Belize) Extension of the time-limits for the filing of the initial pleadings
THE HAGUE, 24 April 2020. By an Order dated 22 April 2020, the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, extended from 8 June 2020 to 8 December 2020 and from 8 June 2021 to 8 June 2022 the respective time-limits for the filing of the Memorial of the Republic of Guatemala and the Counter-Memorial of Belize in the case concerning Guatemala’s Territorial, Insular and Maritime Claim (Guatemala/Belize).
This decision was made taking account of the views of the Parties.
In its Order, the Court states that, by a letter dated 8 April 2020, the Agent of the Republic of Guatemala requested an extension of 12 months for the filing of Guatemala’s Memorial, explaining that the COVID-19 pandemic had resulted in delays in his Government’s preparation of that pleading.
It is further stated in the Order that, by a letter dated 15 April 2020, the Agent of Belize responded that the Government of Belize objected to Guatemala’s request, adding that, should the Court consider that the impact of the pandemic merits some extension, in his Government’s opinion, an extension of two months would be sufficient in the circumstances.
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History of the proceedings
The history of the proceedings can be found in paragraphs 274-281 of the Court’s Annual Report for 2018-2019, available on the Court’s website, www.icj-cij.org.
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The full text of the Order is also available on the Court’s website under the heading “Cases”.
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Note: The Court’s press releases are prepared by its Registry for information purposes only and do not constitute official documents.
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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 Court is composed of 15 judges elected for a nine-year term by the General Assembly and the Security Council of the United Nations. The seat of the Court is at the Peace Palace in The Hague (Netherlands). The Court has a twofold role: first, to settle, in accordance with international law, through judgments which have binding force and are without appeal for the parties concerned, legal disputes submitted to it by States; and, second, to give advisory opinions on legal questions referred to it by duly authorized United Nations organs and agencies of the system.
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