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[p.50]
The President of the International Court of Justice,
Having regard to Article 48 of the Statute of the Court, and to Articles 44
and 48 of the Rules of Court,
Having regard to the Application of the State of Qatar filed in the Registry
of the Court on 8 July 1991, instituting proceedings against the State of
Bahrain in respect of certain disputes between the two States relating to
sovereignty over the Hawar islands, sovereign rights over the shoals of
Dibal and Qit'at Jaradah, and the delimitation of the maritime areas of the
two States;
Whereas in that Application Qatar founds the jurisdiction of the Court upon
certain agreements between the Parties stated to have been concluded in
December 1987 and December 1990, the subject and scope of the commitment to
jurisdiction being determined, according to Qatar, by a formula proposed by
Bahrain to Qatar on 26 October 1988 and accepted by Qatar in December 1990;
Whereas by letters addressed to the Registrar of the Court on 14 July 1991
and 18 August 1991 Bahrain contested the basis of jurisdiction invoked by
Qatar;
Whereas at a meeting between the President of the Court and the
representatives of the Parties held on 2 October 1991 it was agreed that [p
51] questions of jurisdiction and admissibility in this case should be
separately determined before any proceedings on the merits; and whereas at
that meeting agreement was also reached on time-limits for written
proceedings on these questions;
Whereas it is necessary for the Court to be informed of all the contentions
and evidence of fact and law on which the Parties rely in that connection;
Taking into account the agreement concerning the procedure expressed by the
Parties, consulted under Article 31 of the Rules of Court,
Decides that the written proceedings shall first be addressed to the
questions of the jurisdiction of the Court to entertain the dispute and of
the admissibility of the Application;
Fixes the following time-limits for those proceedings:
10 February 1992 for the Memorial of the State of Qatar;
11 June 1992 for the Counter-Memorial of the State of Bahrain; and
Reserves the subsequent procedure for further decision.
Done in English and in French, the English text being authoritative, at the
Peace Palace, The Hague, this eleventh day of October, one thousand nine
hundred and ninety-one, in three copies, one of which will be placed in the
archives of the Court and the others transmitted to the Government of the
State of Qatar and the Government of the State of Bahrain, respectively.
(Signed) R. Y. Jennings,
President.
(Signed) Eduardo Valencia-Ospina,
Registrar. |
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