WORLD COURT AUTHORIZES ORGANIZATION OF ISLAMIC CONFERENCE TO PARTICIPATE IN PROCEEDINGS ON CONSTRUCTION OF WALL IN PALESTINIAN TERRITORY

WORLD COURT AUTHORIZES ORGANIZATION OF ISLAMIC CONFERENCE TO PARTICIPATE

IN PROCEEDINGS ON CONSTRUCTION OF WALL IN PALESTINIAN TERRITORY

THE HAGUE, 22 January (ICJ) -- The International Court of Justice (ICJ), the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, has authorized the Organization of the Islamic Conference, at its request, to participate in the proceedings in the case concerning Legal Consequences of the Construction of a Wall in the Occupied Palestinian Territory (request for advisory opinion).

By a letter dated 14 January 2004, the General Secretariat of the Organization of the Islamic Conference requested that the Organization be authorized to furnish information on the question submitted to the Court by the United Nations General Assembly.

By a letter dated 19 January 2004, the Registrar of the Court informed the General Secretariat of the Organization that the Court had decided, pursuant to article 66 of its Statute, that the Organization was likely to be able to furnish information on the question before the Court.  The Organization has, therefore, been authorized to submit to the Court a written statement within the time limit of 30 January 2004 and to participate in the oral proceedings opening on 23 February 2004 (see Press Release 2003/44).

Information Department:  Arthur Witteveen, First Secretary of the Court (tel.: + 31 70 302 23 36); Laurence Blairon and Boris Heim, Information Officers (tel.: + 31 70 302 23 37); e-mail address: information@icj-cij.org.

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