Chile has submitted its arguments over a maritime border dispute with Peru to the International Court of Justice in The Hague, the Chilean Minister of Foreign Relations, Mariano Fernández, said Tuesday.
“The government of Chile reiterates with this act that it will continue exercising its rights as it has done up until now with full approval, with international law,” state news agency Andina reported Fernández as saying.
The final arguments were reportedly reviewed by Chilean President Michelle Bachelet and President-elect Sebastián Piñera, who assumes the presidency on Mar. 11. The Chilean representative to the ICJ, Alberto Van Klaveren, said the change in administration would not affect their case.
Chile said in January that part of its case at the ICJ would include official Peruvian maps that support their argument for maintaining the current maritime border.
In January 2007, Peru began proceedings against Chile at the ICJ. The dispute dates back to the 1879 – 1883 War of the Pacific, in which Peru and Bolivia lost substantial territory to Chile. Central to the row is 38,000 square kilometers, or about 14,500 square miles, of fishing-rich sea which Chile currently controls.
Chile says the current border, which is parallel to the equator cutting west across the pacific, was established under two agreements in the 1950s, however Peru claims those agreements were fishing treaties and the maritime zone has never been delimited.
Peru submitted its arguments to the ICJ in March 2009. Its proposed border follows the countries south-western sloping border into the ocean.
