International Court of Justice Territorial
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INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE TERRITORIAL AND MARITIME DISPUTE (NICARAGUA v. COLOMBIA) REPLY OF THE GOVERNMENT OF NICARAGUA VOLUME I 18 SEPTEMBER 2009 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 1 I. PROCEDURAL HISTORY........................................................................................ 1 II. THE QUESTION OF SOVEREIGNTY ....................................................................... 2 III. MARITIME DELIMITATION ............................................................................... 12 IV. COLOMBIA’S CONTINUED IMPOSITION OF THE 82ND MERIDIAN ....................... 15 V. SUMMARY OF THE REPLY ................................................................................. 19 PART I: THE ISSUE OF SOVEREIGNTY ......................................................... 21 CHAPTER I: THE ISSUE OF SOVEREIGNTY ................................................ 23 I. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................. 23 II. HISTORY OF THE DISPUTE ON SOVEREIGNTY .................................................... 24 III. CONSEQUENCES OF THE VALIDITY OF THE 1928 TREATY ............................... 27 A. INTERPRETATION OF THE 1928 TREATY .......................................................... 29 B. WHAT MARITIME FEATURES FORM PART OF THE SAN ANDRÉS ARCHIPELAGO OVER WHICH THE SOVEREIGNTY OF COLOMBIA WAS RECOGNIZED BY NICARAGUA IN PARAGRAPH 1 OF ARTICLE I OF THE 1928 TREATY? ....................................... 32 1. Uti possidetis iuris .............................................................................................. 32 2. Colonial era ......................................................................................................... 38 3. What was understood by the reference to the “islands of San Andrés”? ............. 44 C. THE SPECIAL QUESTION OF RONCADOR, SERRANA (AND QUITASUEÑO) .......... 50 1. The second paragraph of Article I of the 1928 Treaty: the text ........................... 50 2. The second paragraph of Article I of the Treaty: not an implicit relinquishment by Nicaragua ........................................................................................................... 53 3. The second paragraph of Article I of the 1928 Treaty: basis of title to the three features .................................................................................................................... 54 IV. CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................................. 55 PART II : MARITIME DELIMITATION ........................................................... 57 MARITIME DELIMITATION ............................................................................. 59 GENERAL INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................... 59 CHAPTER II: LEGAL AND GEOGRAPHICAL FRAMEWORK .................. 61 I. LEGAL FRAMEWORK ......................................................................................... 61 I A. NICARAGUA’S CLAIMS TO THE RESOURCES OF THE CONTINENTAL SHELF, A NATIONAL FISHING ZONE, AND AN EXCLUSIVE ECONOMIC ZONE ........................ 61 B. COLOMBIA’S CLAIMS REPRESENTED IN LEGISLATION ..................................... 63 C. THE APPLICABLE LAW ................................................................................... 63 II. THE GENERAL GEOGRAPHICAL FRAMEWORK AND THE DELIMITATION AREA . 65 A. THE RELEVANT COASTS OF NICARAGUA AND COLOMBIA ................................ 65 B. ISLANDS ........................................................................................................ 67 C. MARITIME DELIMITATION ............................................................................. 69 CHAPTER III : THE DELIMITATION OF THE CONTINENTAL SHELF AREA ....................................................................................................................... 73 I. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................. 73 II. APPLICABLE LAW ............................................................................................. 77 III. THE CLAIMS TO CONTINENTAL SHELF AREA .................................................. 78 IV. THE CRITERION OF THE NATURAL PROLONGATION OF THE LAND TERRITORY OF THE COASTAL STATE TO THE OUTER EDGE OF THE CONTINENTAL MARGIN (ENTITLEMENT TO CONTINENTAL SHELF AREAS) ................................................. 78 V. THE CONTINENTAL SHELF IN THE WESTERN CARIBBEAN: THE GEOLOGICAL AND GEOMORPHOLOGICAL EVIDENCE .................................................................. 81 A. NICARAGUA’S NATURAL PROLONGATION ....................................................... 82 B. COLOMBIA’S NATURAL PROLONGATION ......................................................... 83 C. APPLICATION OF THE PRINCIPLES REFLECTED IN ARTICLE 76 ........................ 85 VI. THE ENTITLEMENT TO CONTINENTAL SHELF AND THE ACHIEVEMENT OF A DELIMITATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH ARTICLE 83 OF THE 1982 LAW OF THE SEA CONVENTION ........................................................................................................ 88 A. THE APPLICATION OF THE PRINCIPLE OF EQUAL DIVISION ............................ 88 B. THE GEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE OF THE OUTER LIMITS OF THE CONTINENTAL SHELF AREAS ATTRIBUTABLE TO NICARAGUA ..................................................... 89 C. THE COLOMBIAN CONTINENTAL SHELF ......................................................... 91 D. OVERLAPPING CONTINENTAL MARGINS ......................................................... 92 VII. THE RELATION OF THE NICARAGUAN CLAIM TO THE AREAS OF THE CONTINENTAL SHELF AND THE OUTER LIMIT OF THE EXCLUSIVE ECONOMIC ZONE OF THE COLOMBIAN MAINLAND ........................................................................... 93 VIII. THE RELEVANCE OF PROPORTIONALITY AND THE DELIMITATION OF CONTINENTAL SHELF AREAS ................................................................................ 96 II A. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................. 96 B. THE RELEVANCE OF PROPORTIONALITY TO THE DELIMITATION OF THE AREAS OF CONTINENTAL SLOPE AND CONTINENTAL MARGIN ........................................ 97 IX. THE ENTITLEMENT TO CONTINENTAL SHELF AND THE EFFECT OF ISLANDS IN THE ACHIEVEMENT OF A DELIMITATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH ARTICLE 83 OF THE 1982 LAW OF THE SEA CONVENTION ............................................................. 99 CHAPTER IV: PHYSICAL AND LEGAL ASPECTS OF THE MARITIME FEATURES LOCATED ON THE CONTINENTAL SHELF OF NICARAGUA ................................................................................................................................ 103 I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 103 II. MARITIME FEATURES CLAIMED BY COLOMBIA .............................................. 103 A. COLOMBIA’S ARCHIPELAGO ARGUMENT ...................................................... 103 B. THE MARITIME FEATURES ........................................................................... 105 III. NICARAGUA’S UNDISPUTED ISLANDS AND MARITIME FEATURES ................. 110 IV. THE SPECIAL CASE OF THE SUBMERGED BANK OF QUITASUEÑO .................. 115 A. SURVEYS OF THE BANK OF QUITASUEÑO ...................................................... 117 B. THE PRACTICE OF THE UNITED STATES IN RESPECT OF THE BANK OF QUITASUEÑO .................................................................................................. 120 C. CONCLUSIONS ON THE STATUS OF QUITASUEÑO .......................................... 122 V. CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................................ 123 CHAPTER V: ENCLAVING ISLANDS AND CAYS ....................................... 125 I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 125 II. ISLANDS AND ROCKS ...................................................................................... 125 III. MARITIME AREAS INVOLVED ........................................................................ 127 IV. ENCLAVEMENT IS NECESSARY TO OBTAIN AN EQUITABLE RESULT ............. 128 V. CHANNEL ISLANDS ARBITRATION .................................................................. 132 VI. OTHER PRECEDENTS ..................................................................................... 136 VII. CONCLUSIONS ............................................................................................. 138 CHAPTER VI: COLOMBIA’S DELIMITATION CLAIM ............................. 141 I. INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................ 141 II. THE ISLAND OF SAN ANDRÉS AND OTHER MINOR INSULAR FEATURES DO NOT BLOCK THE MARITIME PROJECTION OF NICARAGUA’S COAST ........................... 145 III III. THE RELEVANT COASTS AND RELEVANT AREA FOR THE DELIMITATION UNDER COLOMBIA’S SCENARIO ...................................................................................... 156 A. THE RELEVANT COASTS ............................................................................... 156 B. THE RELEVANT AREA .................................................................................. 161 IV. COLOMBIA’S PLACEMENT, CONSTRUCTION AND USE OF HER PROVISIONAL EQUIDISTANCE