Nicaragua takes Colombia boundary dispute to UN court, Colombia recalls ambassador

December 2nd, 2013 (AFP & InsideCostaRica.com) - Nicaragua started proceedings at the International Court of Justice against Colombia last week for allegedly violating its sovereign rights and maritime zones, according to a statement from the UN court.

The application filed by Nicaragua at the ICJ in the Hague raises a long-running border dispute between the two countries.

Nicaragua said Colombia had failed to respect a ruling by the ICJ on November 19, 2012 which awarded sovereignty over a group of Caribbean islands to Bogota, while granting a large swathe of sea territory to Managua.

In its application Nicaragua requested the ICJ “adjudge and declare that Colombia is in breach of its obligation not to use or threaten to use force… its obligation not to violate Nicaragua’s maritime zones as well as Nicaragua’s sovereign rights and jurisdiction in these zones”.

Following the November 2012 ruling Colombia refused to recognize the jurisdiction, saying the country’s territorial and marine boundaries should be established through treaties, and not sentences handed down by the court in the Hague.

In response to the case being taken to the ICJ by  Nicaragua last week, Colombia has recalled its ambassador in Managua.

Foreign Minister Maria Angela Holguin in Bogota said her country took the decision as it cannot accept the court’s November 19 judgment that confirmed Colombia’s sovereignty over the San Andres archipelago in the Caribbean, but redrew marine boundaries in a way that favored Nicaragua.

“What we are saying is that we cannot apply” the ruling, Holguin told reporters in the capital. “For these reasons and the hostility of Nicaragua we have taken the decision to recall our ambassador for consultations.”

The case has poisoned bilateral relations over the past year.

The ambassador, Luz Stella Jara, was expected back in Bogota last week to explain why it has been “impossible to have a dialogue with Nicaragua,” added Holguin, deploring Managua’s decision to go to the ICJ.

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has said the country’s territorial and marine boundaries should be established through treaties, and not sentences handed down by the court in the Hague.