Replyofthe Government of Nicaragua
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INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE MARITIME DELIMITATI ON BETWEEN NICARAGUA AND HONDURAS IN THE CARIBBEAN SEA (NICARAGUA v. HONDURAS) REPLYOFTHE GOVERNMENT OF NICARAGUA VOLUME! 13 JANUARY 2003 TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................... 1 1. Brief Reminder of the Procedure ............................................................ 1 Il. Main Issue in Dispute ........................................................................... 2 Ill. Outline of the Reply ............................................................................. 3 CHAPTER 1: MAIN FEATURES OF THE HONDURAN COUNTER- MEMORIAL ................................................................................................... 5 1. Points of Agreement of the Parties ......................................................... 5 A. }URISDICTION OF THE COURT AND ADMISSIBILITY OF THE APPLICA Tl ON .......•....• 5 B. OBJECT OF THE DISPUTE ......••...................••..•...•.••.....•....•.•.....•.....••.•..•....• 6 C. PARTIAL AGREEMENT OF THE PARTIES CONCERNING THE MARITIME DELIMITATION ··············································································································· 8 Il. The Honduran Case as Presented in the Counter-Memorial ............... 11 A. THE HONDURAN POSTULA TES ................................................................. 11 B. HONDURAS IGNORES THE RULES AND PRINCIPLES OF MARITIME DELIMITATION. 14 CHAPTER II: MARITIME DELIMITATION: THE METHODOLOGY ADOPTED BY HONDURAS ..................................................................... 15 1. Introduction: the Honduran A version to Coastal Relationships ........... 15 Il. The Honduran Caricature of the Geographical Context of the Dispute .................................................................................................... 15 III. The Honduran Argument has No Relation to the Geographical Context. ................................................................................................... 16 IV. The Concept of Relevant Circumstances Adopted by Honduras is Erroneous ................................................................................................. 21 V. Conclusion .......................................................................................... 24 CHAPTER III: THE LEGAL AND POLITICAL GEOGRAPHY OF THE REGION ...................................................................................................... 27 1. Introduction .......................................................................................... 27 Il. Geography of the Area ........................................................................ 27 A. THE GENERAL ORIENTA TION OF THE COAST ............................................... 27 B. THE GENERAL ORIENTATION OF THE LAND BOUNDARY ................................ 28 C. THE SPECIAL CHARACTER OF THE RIVER COCO ........................................... 29 D. THENICARAGUAN RISE .......................................................................... 30 E. THE ISLETS AND ROCKS SITUATED IN THE AREA TO BE DELIMITED .................. 30 III. The Legal Context - The Relevance of Delimitation Agreements in the Region and Elsewhere ....................................................................... 34 A. THE TREATIES HONDURAS CONSIDERS OF PARTICULAR IMPORTANCE .............. 35 B. 0THER TREATIES REFERRED TO IN THE TEXT OF THE COUNTER-MEMORIAL ....... 40 C. DELIMITATl ON AGREEMENTS IN THE CARIBBEAN REGION AND ELSEWHERE .•...• 40 D. THE VIEW OF THE COURT AND OTHER INTERNATIONAL TRIBUNALS ................. 45 CHAPTER IV: THE RELEVANCE OF THE UT! POSSIDETIS PRINCIPLE ................................................................................................. 49 1. Introduction .......................................................................................... 49 A. THE POSITION OF HONDURAS .........•....•.............••...•..•.••........•.•.•••.•..•...••.. 49 B. THE POSITION OF NICARAGUA •............••....•...•..............•.•.•••.............••...••. 50 II. The limited relevance of the A ward of 1906 ...................................... 51 III. Uti possidetis iuris outside the 1906 A ward? .................................... 57 A. No ISLAND UT/ POSSIDETIS [URIS EXISTS IN THE AREA IN DISPUTE •.•••.•.•.••.•••.. 59 B. No MARITIME UT! POSSIDETIS lURIS EXISTS IN THE AREA IN DISPUTE .•.....••.•••.. 65 IV. Conclusions ....................................................................................... 68 CHAPTER V: THE RELEVANCE OF THE EFFECTIVITÉS TO MARITIME DELIMITATION ................................................................... 71 1. Introduction .......................................................................................... 71 A. THE EFFECTIVITÉS ACCORDING TO HONDURAS ............................................ 71 B. THE EFFECTIVITÉS ACCORDING TO NICARAGUA .......••...••...•.•.•••...•.........•..•.• 72 C. HONDURAS HAS NO LEGAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE EFFECTIVITÉS IN THE AREA IN DISPUTE ....••............•..•...........•••.••.•..•........•.•....•..•......•.•.•..•.•••.•...•.......••.• 73 D. No HONDURAN EFFECTIVITÉS EXJST REGARDING ECONOMJC ACTJVITY IN THE AREA IN DISPUTE •.........••........•..•..................••...•.•............•....•••..••..•......... 76 E. HONDURAS HAS NO OTHER EFFECTIVITÉS IN THE AREA IN DISPUTE ••...•....•...••.. 84 F. CONCLUSION •..•......•..•••.......•...••..•.•.............•.......•.....•.•......•.•.•••.•..••..••. 89 CHAPTER VI: TITLE TO THE ISLETS AND ROCKS ........................... 91 1. The bases of the Honduran claim ......................................................... 93 A. THE HISTORY OF THE DISPUTE DU RING THE COLONIAL PERIOD AND THE !9TH CENTURY AND THE RELEVANCE OF THE PRINCIPLE OF UT/ POSSIDETIS fU RIS .•••.••••• 96 B. THE ARBITRAL A WARD OF THE KING OF SPAIN OF 1906 .................................. 97 C. THE PRACTICE OF HONDURAS BETWEEN 1906 AND 1960 ............................... 97 D. LEGISLATION OF HONDURAS .................•................•.•..............•.••.•••..•..... 98 E. CARTOGRAPHie EVIDENCE ••.........................•..•..........•...•.••••..........•...•.••. 99 F. CONCLUSIONS ON THE HONDURAN ARGUMENTS CONCERNING TITLE TO THE ISLETS IN DISPUTE .......••......•..•.........•...........•.•...•.............••.••.•........•••..••..•.•.•... 124 II. The bases of the Nicaraguan claim (including effectivités) .............. 126 A .THE UT/ POSSIDETIS IURIS OF 1821 ........................................................... 127 B. THE TURTLE FISHING DISPUTE .•........••...•.......•.•..•••..•.•.•..•.•..•.••......•.•••••• 128 C. THE ARBITRAL A WARD OF THE KING OF SPAIN OF 1906 ................................. 129 D. THELEGISLATIONOFNICARAGUA .......................................................... 129 E. CARTOGRAPHie EVIDENCE ..•.......•..••........•..•.••........•...•..••.....••..•.••........ J3Q F. EFFECTIVITÉS AND THE EXERCISE OF NICARAGUAN SOVEREJGNTY AND JURISDICTION OVER THE ISLETS IN DISPUTE .................................................. )33 III. Conclusions on the Nicaraguan Arguments concerning the Title to the Islets in Dispute ..................................................................................... 138 CHAPTER VII: THE WEAKNESS OF THE HONDURAN ARGUMENT BASEDONCONDUCT ........................................................................... 141 1. Introduction ........................................................................................ 141 Il Il. Con du ct of the parties be fore 1963 ................................................... 142 Ill. Condu ct of the parties between 1963 and 1977 ............................... 145 IV. The conduct of the parties since 1977 ............................................. 152 V. Conclusion ......................................................................................... 165 CHAPTER VIII: THE APPLICABLE PRINCIPLES OF THE LAW OF THE SEA (THE METHODS OF DELIMITATI ON) ............................... 167 1. The Applicability of The 1982 United Nations Convention On The Law of The Sea .............................................................................................. 167 Il. The Legal Princip les Applicable to the Case .................................... 170 CHAPTER IX: THE COURSE OF THE BOUNDARY ........................... 179 1. The Purpose ........................................................................................ 179 Il. The Delimitation on the Basis of a Single Maritime Boundary ........ 179 III. The Bisector Method of Delimitation .............................................. 180 IV. Relevant Circumstances: Equitable Criteria Confirming the Equitable Result Produced by the Bisector Method .............................................. 182 A. THE INCIDENCE OF NATI ON AL RESOURCES ............................................... 182 B. THE INCIDENCE OF FISHER !ES AND HYDROCARBONS IN THE DJSPUTED AREA ... 182 C. THE PRINCIPLE OF EQUITABLE ACCESS TO THE NATURAL RESOURCES OF THE DISPUTED AREA ..................................................................................... 183 D. THE GEOLOGY AND GEOMORPHOLOGY OF THE NICARAGUAN RI SE ................ 183 E. SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS .................................................................. 184 F. THE CONDUCT OF THE PARTIES .............................................................. 185 G. ÜIL AND GAS CONCESSIONS .................................................................