Benin, Niger dispute in court

2003-11-20 18:58

The Hague - The World Court swore in two additional judges on Thursday at the first public hearing of a 40-year-old border dispute between Benin and Niger.

In 2002, the two West African countries agreed to let a five-judge panel at the United Nations' highest court adjudicate a long-running dispute over the course of their boundary along the Niger river near the River Mekrou.

The two ad-hoc judges were Mohammed Bedjaoui, chosen by Niger, and Mohamed Bennouna, selected by Benin. They will join three regular members of the court hearing the case. The five-judge panel is headed by Gilbert Guillaume.

Niger and Benin each has filed confidential written arguments, and will file counter-arguments by May 28, 2004. The judges will then set a date to rule in the case, and both sides have agreed to abide by the court's decision.

Though the two countries did not publicly present details of their case on Thursday, their foreign ministers briefly addressed the judges.

"Historians may remember this frontier dispute as the 'Lete Island Affair,' since the possession of this island, where the nomadic peoples of Niger encounter the sedentary inhabitants of Benin, is at the heart of the dispute before you," said Rogatien Biaou of Benin in prepared remarks.

"In effect, today marks a decisive step in the long process of peaceful negotiation, that, I am convinced, will lead to the resolution of this difference that has faced Benin and Niger for a little more than 40 years."

Aichatou Mindaoudou of Niger said that allowing the court to settle the dispute could "only reinforce the stability, the peace between our two countries and that of our surrounding region."

The World Court, also known as the International Court of Justice, is the UN court for resolving disputes between nations.

- AP