886

SEPARATE OPINION OF JUDGE RANJEVA

[Translation]

Correspondence between Nicaragua’s requests and the subject-matter of the
Judgment — Interim decision on the merits or judgment on a preliminary objec-
tion — Declaration of the validity of the 1928 Treaty — Status of the three
islands and ending of the dispute — Closeness of links between the merits and
the procedural law — Nicaragua’s dual claim: possessory and petitory — Com-

878

DISSENTING OPINION OF VICE-PRESIDENT
AL-KHASAWNEH

Colombian preliminary objection not of exclusively preliminary nature —
Where decision on preliminary objection also determinative of important aspect
of the merits of the dispute — Where decision on alleged invalidity of 1928

827

DECLARATION OF JUDGE AD HOC GAJA

While I am in agreement with the rest of the operative part of the Judg-
ment and with most of the reasons given, I do not share the view that
maritime areas lying south of the 14°59.8′N parallel should be attributed
to Honduras as part of its territorial sea.
According to Article 3 of the United Nations Convention on the Law

782

DISSENTING OPINION OF JUDGE AD HOC TORRES
BERNÁRDEZ

[Translation]

780

DECLARATION OF JUDGE PARRA-ARANGUREN

1. The Note of 19 March 1912 sent by the Minister for Foreign Affairs
of Nicaragua to the Foreign Minister of Honduras recalls the failure of

the Mixed Commission created by the 1894 Treaty to agree on one sector
of the boundary line and states:

774

SEPARATE OPINION OF JUDGE KOROMA

Employment of bisector consistent with jurisprudence on maritime delimita-
tion — Geographical features of area at heart of delimitation — Choice of
method depends upon particular circumstances of the area to be delimited —
Equidistance method when appropriate but not obligatory — Bisector also a
geometric method and its relation to coastal geography — Articles 15, 74, para-

765

SEPARATE OPINION OF JUDGE RANJEVA

[Translation]

Special circumstances and delimitation of the territorial sea — Rule-making
or corrective function — Geomorphology and course of the provisional equidis-
tance line — Notion of necessity and alternative course of the provisional line —
Bisector and equidistance line — History of Article 15 of the 1982 United
Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea — Development of jurisprudence —

A largely settled debate — Reversal of jurisprudence — “Particular circum-
stances”.

457

SEPARATE OPINION OF JUDGE AD HOC KREC uA

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Paragraphs

PART I. JURISDICTIONAL SSUES 1-78

I. General Considerations in Respect of the Res Judicata Rule 1-6
II. Res Judicata as Regards Jurisdictional Decisions 7-19

381

DISSENTING OPINION OF JUDGE AD HOC MAHIOU

[Translation]

366

DECLARATION OF JUDGE SKOTNIKOV

No jurisdiction — Respondent had no access to Court when proceedings insti-

tuted — Relevance of 2004 Legality of Use of Force cases — Issue of access to
Court not determined in 1996 Judgment — Res judicata not absolute and
exhaustive in incidental proceedings.