SECURITY COUNCIL SETS 28 FEBRUARY 1996 DATE TO ELECT NEW INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE MEMBER
The Security Council this afternoon decided that the election to fill the vacancy on the International Court of Justice will be held on 28 February 1996.
By adopting without a vote resolution 1018 (1995), in accordance with Article 14 of the Statute of the Court, the Security Council set the date for its simultaneous meeting with the General Assembly to elect the new member of the Court, who will serve out the remainder of the nine-year term of Judge Andres Aguilar Mawdsley (Venezuela), until 5 February 2000. Judge Mawdsley died on 24 October.
Under the Statute of the International Court, the General Assembly and the Security Council shall proceed independently of one another to elect the members of the Court. The candidate who obtains an absolute majority vote in the General Assembly and in the Security Council shall be considered elected.
The President of the Council, Salim bin Mohammed Al-Khussaiby (Oman) said that Judge Mawdsley, who joined the Court on 6 February 1991, was a teacher, diplomat and eminent jurist who had been his country's Minister of Justice until 1963. Among other diplomatic posts, Judge Mawdsley had been Venezuela's Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 1969 to 1972, and Ambassador to the United States from 1972 to 1974. Judge Mawdsley had been a member of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights from 1962, and President of the International Commission of Jurists from 1986.
Today's meeting followed the Council's consideration of a note from the Secretary-General (document S/1995/914) recommending that members meet to schedule the election. The Secretary-General will now invite nominations to fill the vacancy. According to Article 14 of the Court's Statute, the Secretary-General shall issue the invitations within one month of the occurrence of the vacancy and at least three months before the date of the election.
The meeting, which convened at 1 p.m., was adjourned at 1:05 p.m.
The text of the draft resolution (S/1995/923), adopted this afternoon as Security Council resolution 1018 (1995) reads as follows:
"The Security Council,
"Noting with regret the death of Judge Andres Aguilar Mawdsley on 24 October 1995,
"Noting further that a vacancy in the International Court of Justice for the remainder of the term of office of the deceased Judge has thus occurred and must be filled in accordance with the terms of the Statute of the Court,
"Noting that, in accordance with Article 14 of the Statute, the date of the election to fill the vacancy shall be fixed by the Security Council,
"Decides that the election to fill the vacancy shall take place on 28 February 1996 at a meeting of the Security Council and at a meeting of the General Assembly at its fiftieth session."
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