The International Court of Justice (ICJ) will make its first statements regarding the alleged Nicaragua incursion on Costa Rican soil on March 8 at 8:00 a.m. local time (3 p.m. in the Netherlands).
On March 8, a Tuesday, judges at The Hague, Netherlands could set up provisional measures requested by the Costa Rican government to stop the dredging works on Isla Calero, a border area disputed by both countries as their own.
“We hope the ICJ rules on our favor, and order the Nicaragua forces to leave our territory for once and all,” said René Castro, Costa Rica’s Foreign Minister at a press conference Friday morning. “We rely on the Nicaragua’s good faith and hope their armed forces will respect the rulings”
Castro also assured that the government is ready to take further actions in case the Nicaraguan troops disobey the ruling from ICJ. One consideration is to request assistance from the United Nations Security Council.
On Nov. 18, 2010, Costa Rica requested provisional measures from against the alleged occupation of territory. Among the measures requested, the government demanded an immediate withdrawal of armed forces from the disputed land and also to stop any dredging projects and sediment dumping in the area.
