World court rules on Nicaragua-Costa Rica dispute

[Judi Lynn]

World court rules on Nicaragua-Costa Rica dispute
By MIKE CORDER Associated Press
Updated: 03/08/2011 02:30:12 PM CST

THE HAGUE, Netherlands—The International Court of Justice ordered both Costa Rica and Nicaragua Tuesday to keep their military, police and civilian personnel out of a disputed border region along the San Juan river that separates them.
Costa Rica had asked the court to bar Nicaraguan troops from the disputed region and order it to halt dredging and tree felling from where the San Juan river empties into the Atlantic Ocean.

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and his Costa Rican counterpart Laura Chinchilla said before Tuesday's hearing they would respect the ruling by the United Nations' highest judicial organ.

The court ordered both Costa Rican and Nicaraguan forces out, and told both countries to "refrain from any actions which might aggravate or extend the dispute."

Costa Rica went to the court last year claiming Nicaragua illegally sent troops and engineers into Costa Rican territory to dredge part of the river. However, the judges refused to order Nicaragua to halt all dredging, saying it was not clear that the dredging "is creating irreparable risk of damage" to Costa Rica's environment.

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http://www.twincities.com/national/ci_17563939?nclick_check=1