From 26 to 28 May 2008, in Buenos Aires, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) has just concluded a regional workshop in Buenos Aires on the role of the Tribunal in the settlement of law of the sea-related disputes. The workshop was organized in cooperation with the Argentine Ministry of Foreign Affairs, International Trade and Worship and was attended by representatives of Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela.
The workshop allowed representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and of the Tribunal to exchange views on ways to enhance the Tribunal’s role in dispute settlement. During these exchanges, it was agreed that, whenever proceedings before a special chamber of the Tribunal involved States from the region, the parties to the proceedings and the special chamber might find it appropriate to hold
meetings at a suitable city in the region.
Argentina expressed its willingness to provide the necessary facilities in the event
the Tribunal and the parties consider it desirable for a special chamber of
the Tribunal to sit, or otherwise exercise its functions, in Buenos Aires. It was agreed that any assistance given to the Tribunal by the Argentine Government in such a case would be subject to an arrangement containing provisions consistent with the Agreement on the Privileges and Immunities of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, adopted on 23 May 1997.
The press releases of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea are available on the Tribunal’s websites: www.itlos.org and www.tidm.org
(mew)