International Court Verdict in Peru-Chile Border Dispute

Neither Peru nor Chile got entirely what they wanted in a ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) regarding a bilateral border dispute.

The ICJ agreed on Monday to expand Peru’s maritime boundary to cover some 10,800 square miles of ocean currently in international waters.  Thus, the tribunal partially agreed to Peru’s original claim of nearly 15,000 square miles of ocean.

Even though Chile may have to cede some of its territory in the Pacific Ocean, disagreed with Peru’s argument on how to redraw the maritime boundary.  By ruling that the maritime border should start from the same point on the coastline as it does now, the ICJ may have preserved valuable coastal fishing areas currently controlled by Chile.

Although the ICJ’s ruling is nonbinding the presidents of Chile and Peru have agreed to abide by the decision.

“Peru is pleased with the outcome,” said the Andean country’s president Ollanta Humala. “With this controversy resolved, the court affirmed our rights,” added Humala.

Humala’s Chilean counterpart, Sebastián Piñera, said, “he strongly disagreed” with the part of the verdict that expands Peru’s maritime claims.  Yet he noted that both he and President-elect Michelle Bachelet will ensure that the court’s ruling would be applied “gradually and based on future agreements between both countries.”

The ICJ’s ruling was reminiscent of the court’s compromise decision made in a 2012 ruling between Nicaragua and Colombia over disputed oceanic claims.  Unlike the diplomatic tensions in the aftermath of that verdict, the strong economic ties between Chile and Peru mean that neither country would benefit from their leaders harshly criticizing the ruling.

Weekend Headlines: December 1-2, 2012

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* Mexico: Police clashed with protesters opposed to Enrique Peña Nieto while he was being inaugurated on Saturday as president of Mexico.

* Latin America: The presidents of Colombia and Nicaragua agreed to use dialogue to resolve a territorial dispute while the Peruvian and Chilean presidents said that they would respect an upcoming international court ruling on maritime boundaries.

* Paraguay: At least 69 people have died this year in Paraguay as a result of the dengue fever that has also killed over 400 people throughout Latin America.

* Brazil: President Dilma Rousseff vetoed portions of a controversial bill that would redistribute oil royalties amongst Brazilian states.

Daily Headlines: September 19, 2007

* Hugo Chavez’ ultimatum to Venezuelan private schools: accept the new curriculum or the government takes over.

* Rumor du jour - Is Jennifer Lopez pregnant?

* Mexican drug capo Francisco Javier Arellano Felix pleaded guilty in a U.S. court as part of a plea deal that would have him avoid the death penalty.

* Over 600 Peruvian villagers are mysteriously ill from a noxious smell caused by a meteorite that crashed over the weekend.

* The Falklands and Bolivia’s desire for a coast are just a two of several border disputes across the Americas.

Sources- Associated Press, Dlisted, MSNBC, International Herald Tribune, The Latin Americanist, Los Angeles Times

Image- BBC News

Chile and Bolivia still at odds over border

Over a century ago Bolivia signed a treaty ceding its coastal land to Chile. Since then, citizens of the landlocked country have held slight resentment towards Chile, while Bolivia’s government has tried to work out a deal in order to regain access to the ocean.

Despite gradually closer relations between the two countries, Chile continues to refuse Bolivian demands over a coastline. Last week Chile’s government rejected a Bolivian proposal that would have exported much-needed natural gas from Bolivia in exchange for granting Bolivia a coastline. The latest round of discussions has been unsuccessful for Bolivia’s territorial demands and it appear that Chile will not bend backwards.

Sources (English)- People’s Daily Online, Bloomberg, The Latin Americanist

Sources (Spanish)- Wikipedia Español, Consciencia.net, Radio Univerisdad de Chile

Image- BBC Mundo (19th-century map of Peru (in pink) and Bolivia (in green))