ICJ PRESIDENT SAYS UNEQUAL JUDGE SALARIES VIOLATE

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 001008 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL UNGA UNGA UNGA SUBJECT: ICJ PRESIDENT SAYS UNEQUAL JUDGE SALARIES VIOLATE COURT'S STATUTE ¶1. SUMMARY: President of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) Rosalyn Higgins delivered the ICJ's annual report to the General Assembly on November 1. Higgins reviewed ICJ action on key cases and criticized UNGA resolution 61/262 (Conditions of Service and Compensation for Officials other than Secretariat Officials: Members of the International Court of Justice and judges and ad litem judges of the ICTY and the ICTR) for creating differences which she said could place judges elected after January 1, 2007 in a position of "financial inferiority" in relation to their peers. Higgins said the discrepancy in salaries undermined the fundamental principle of equality between judges and therefore violated the ICJ Statute. Higgins also requested resources to hire nine P-2 level law clerks. In response to Higgins's remarks, many delegations underscored their support for the ICJ. END SUMMARY. ¶2. President of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) Judge Rosalyn Higgins presented the ICJ's report for the period August 1, 2006 through July 31, 2007 to the General Assembly (GA) on November 1. Following Higgins's remarks, 18 delegations delivered statements: New Zealand; Egypt; Peru; Pakistan; Algeria; Mexico; Malaysia; India; the Philippines; Nicaragua; Portugal; South Africa; Kenya; Sudan; Nigeria; Honduras; Korea; and Japan. ¶3. Judge Higgins emphasized the efforts made in the last year to improve the ICJ's working methods. Higgins noted that in the past 60 years the ICJ has delivered 94 judgments, one-third of which were delivered in the past ten years. Higgins said the ICJ now has 11 cases on its docket involving European, Latin American, African and Asian States. Furthermore, Higgins said, the ICJ has eliminated its case backlog ahead of the 2008 deadline set in 2006. As a result, she added, States could now expect that as soon as their written exchanges have been completed, the Court would begin to hear oral arguments in a timely manner. ¶4. Turning to her report, Higgins reviewed ICJ action on several noteworthy cases during the previous year. The ICJ heard a landmark case on the application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide brought by Bosnia and Herzegovina against Serbia and Montenegro, the first court case in which one State brought allegations of genocide against another. The ICJ ruled that Serbia and Montenegro failed to meet their obligations under articles 1 and 5 of the Convention, and ordered Serbia and Montenegro immediately to comply with the Convention, transfer individuals accused of genocide to the International Tribunal on the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY),and cooperate fully with the tribunal. ¶5. The ICJ took two decisions in the Pulp Mills on the River Uruguay case (Argentina v. Uruguay),initiated in 2006 by Argentina over the potential threat to the environment caused by two paper mills under construction in Uruguay. Both parties asked the ICJ for provisional measures; Argentina based its request on the potential for transboundary harm caused by the construction of the paper mills, while Uruguay cited economic losses caused by Argentine protesters who interrupted the transport of building materials. The ICJ rejected both requests and set a deadline of July 29, 2008 for a second round of written pleadings. ¶6. The ICJ also completed oral arguments in the case of Ahmadou Sadio Diallo (Guinea v. the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)),a Guinean businessman who, Guinean officials allege, was wrongfully imprisoned, stripped of his wealth and expelled from the DRC. Considering the relevant law on diplomatic protection, the ICJ ruled that Guinea had grounds to address the Court and seek the protection of Mr. Diallo's individual rights and his rights as a shareholder, since Mr. Diallo exhausted all available legal remedies in the DRC. Finally, Higgins said the ICJ completed hearings on case merits and oral arguments on preliminary objections in the territorial and maritime dispute between Nicaragua and Honduras. A final judgment on this matter was forthcoming, Higgins added. ¶7. On administrative issues, Higgins reported that "unfortunately" the ICJ was forced to spend more time than it wished on a matter "not of our choosing," referring to General Assembly resolution 61/262 (Conditions of Service and Compensation for Officials other than Secretariat Officials: Members of the International Court of Justice and judges and ad litem judges of the ICTY and the ICTR). Higgins said that the resolution's effect of lowering the remuneration of judges elected after January 1, 2007 was unprecedented. Due to the resolution, judges on the same bench would receive different salaries for the first time. ¶8. Higgins argued the discrepancy in salaries undermined equality between judges, which she called a "fundamental" principle of the Court's Statute. Higgins added that the Statute of the ICJ was an integral part of the UN Charter, "and is not to be ignored or put aside." To illustrate her point, Higgins asked whether States would be satisfied if a judge presiding over their case was paid less than other judges. Furthermore, Higgins asked if States really intended to put some judges in a position of "financial inferiority" when they adopted resolution 61/262. Higgins also remarked that resolution 61/262 "ironically" has had a negative impact only on the ICJ, and has not addressed budget matters related to the ICTY and ICTR as originally intended. ¶9. Changing topics, Higgins reiterated the ICJ's request for nine P-2 law clerks to assist judges. Higgins justified the additional resources in light of the increasing number of fact-intensive cases and the need to research, analyze and evaluate diverse materials. ¶10. In response to Higgins' remarks, delegations expressed their support for the ICJ's role as the principal judicial body of the UN and its role in peaceful dispute settlement. New Zealand noted the ICJ was moving beyond traditional dispute cases to subjects involving environmental concerns and human rights. Nicaragua and Honduras praised the ICJ's objectivity and emphasized that the Presidents of both countries had agreed to respect the decision of the ICJ in their maritime delimitation dispute. ¶11. As to judges' salaries, India, Nicaragua, and Honduras supported a review of the salary implications of resolution 61/262. India hoped the "unintended anomaly" could be removed. Delegations were more vocal about the ICJ's request for additional law clerks. Egypt, Mexico, Pakistan, Portugal, Nigeria, and Honduras said the request for nine law clerks was justified, given the ICJ's increasing workload. Mexico and Honduras said they would raise the ICJ's request in the Fifth Committee. ¶12. South Africa emphasized the importance of encouraging developing States to utilize the Trust Fund to Assist States in Dispute Settlements through the ICJ and called for more contributions. Malaysia, Sudan, and Peru also asked States to make contributions to the Fund. (NOTE: The Secretary-General reported that Member States contributed SIPDIS 106,145 U.S. dollars to the Fund from July 1, 2006 through June 30, 2007. The current balance of the Fund is 2,402,864 U.S. dollars. END NOTE.). Khalilzad