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[p.183]
The President of the International Court of Justice,
having regard to Article 48 of the Statute of the Court and to Article 62 of
the Rules of Court;
Having regard to the Order of 5 December 1959 extending to 21 May i960 the
time-limit fixed for the filing of the Counter-Memorial of the Spanish
Government;
Whereas, within the time-limit so extended, the Spanish Government filed
certain Preliminary Objections and asked the Court to adjudge and declare
that it is without jurisdiction to entertain the Application of the Belgian
Government and that the Application is inadmissible;
Whereas, accordingly, by virtue of the provisions of Article 62, paragraph
3, of the Rules of Court, the proceedings on the merits are suspended and a
time-limit has to be fixed for the presentation by the other Party of a
written statement of its Observations and Submissions on the Preliminary
Objections; [p 184]
Whereas, with reference to the fixing of a time-limit for the presentation
of such a written statement, the Agent for the Belgian Government, by letter
of 3 June 1960, stated that "The number, the importance and the complexity
of the questions raised both in the historical part and in the part devoted
to the preliminary objections in the document in question, will involve
considerable work requiring the bringing together of numerous documents and
the undertaking of thorough research"; and that "In these circumstances, the
Belgian Government deems it essential to have a period equal to that which
was necessary for the Spanish Government for the preparation of the
document which it has filed, namely eleven months";
Whereas the Agent for the Spanish Government, to whom a copy of the said
letter was communicated on 10 June 1960, indicated by letter of 17 June 1960
that "the Spanish Government considers that the eleven months desired by the
Belgian Government might have given rise to some reservations"; but that
"Nevertheless it raises no objections and places itself entirely in the
hands of the Court as to the fixing of the time-limit";
Fixes 5 December i960 as the time-limit within which the Belgian Government
may present a written statement of its Observations and Submissions on the
Objections raised by the Spanish Government.
Done in French and in English, the French text being authoritative, at the
Peace Palace, The Hague, this twentieth day of June, one thousand nine
hundred and sixty, in three copies, one of which will be placed in the
archives of the Court and the others transmitted to the Belgian Government
and to the Spanish Government, respectively.
(Signed) Helge Klaestad,
President.
(Signed) Garnier-Coignet,
Deputy-Registrar. |
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