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[p.420]
The International Court of Justice,
Composed as above,
After deliberation,
Having regard to Article 48 of the Statute of the Court and to Articles 31,
44 and 79 of the Rules of Court,
Having regard to the Application filed by the Republic of Cameroon in the
Registry of the Court on 29 March 1994 instituting proceedings against the
Federal Republic of Nigeria in respect of a dispute described as "relat[ing]
essentially to the question of sovereignty over the Bakassi Peninsula", in
which the Court was also requested "to determine the course of the maritime
boundary between the two States beyond the line fixed in 1975",
Having regard to the Additional Application filed by Cameroon in the [p 421]
Registry on 6 June 1994 with a view to extending the subject of the dispute
to a further dispute described as "relat[ing] essentially to the question of
sovereignty over a part of the territory of Cameroon in the area of Lake
Chad", in which Cameroon also requested the Court to join the two
Applications and "to examine the whole in a single case",
Having regard to the Order of 16 June 1994, by which the Court, noting that
Nigeria had no objection to the Additional Application being treated as an
amendment to the initial Application, so that the Court could deal with the
whole in a single case, indicated that it had no objection itself to such a
procedure and inter alia fixed 18 December 1995 as the time-limit for the
filing of the Counter-Memorial of Nigeria,
Having regard to the preliminary objections concerning the jurisdiction of
the Court and the admissibility of the Application, which were submitted by
the Government of Nigeria within the time-limit fixed for the filing of the
Counter-Memorial;
Whereas by a Judgment dated 11 June 1998 the Court found that, on the basis
of Article 36, paragraph 2, of the Statute, it has jurisdiction to hear the
dispute and that the Application filed by Cameroon on 29 March 1994, as
amended by the Additional Application of 6 June 1994, is admissible;
Whereas in order to ascertain the views of the Parties on the subsequent
procedure, the President received their Agents on 23 June 1998;
Taking into account the views of the Parties,
Fixes 31 March 1999 as the time-limit for the filing of the Counter-Memorial
of Nigeria; and
Reserves the subsequent procedure for further decision.
Done in French and in English, the French text being authoritative, at the
Peace Palace, The Hague, this thirtieth day of June, one thousand nine
hundred and ninety-eight, in three copies, one of which will be placed in
the archives of the Court and the others transmitted to the Government of
the Republic of Cameroon and the Government of the Federal Republic of
Nigeria, respectively.
(Signed) Stephen M. SCHWEBEL,
President.
(Signed) Eduardo VALENCIA-OSPINA,
Registrar. |
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