NewsLatin AmericaBolivia highlights that the ICJ ruling will allow it to dismantle artificial channels of Silala

Bolivia highlights that the ICJ ruling will allow it to dismantle artificial channels of Silala

Bolivian President Luis Arce – BOLIVIAN PRESIDENCY

The president of Bolivia, Luis Arce, has stressed that the ruling of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the Silala river will allow the dismantling of the Chilean artificial channels.

“The International Court of Justice ratifies our rights over the waters of Silala and our sovereignty over the dismantling of artificial channels,” Arce declared.

The Bolivian president has celebrated that “the controversy with a sister nation has been resolved thanks to the work” of scientific studies and bilateral relations. “We will continue this work for the benefit of the peoples”, he has settled through his profile on the social network Twitter.

For his part, the president of the Senate of the Latin American country, Andronico Rodriguez, explained that, after Chile’s recognition that it artificially channeled the waters, “Bolivia has the sovereign decision to maintain or dismantle the channels.

Thus, Rodriguez has indicated that for his neighboring country to maintain the channels there will have to be bilateral dialogue. “Bolivia is a pacifist state that practices diplomacy with the peoples,” he assured.

The spokesman for the Bolivian legal team in this case, Sebastian Michel, explained that the decision on a possible dismantling of the artificial channels will not take place immediately.

Thus, he has maintained that it is “necessary to establish a rapprochement with the Chilean authorities”, in such a way that he has raised the possibility of a meeting in January of next year, reports the ABI agency.

Bolivia and Chile have settled the Silala controversy, which began in 2016, announcing the continuation of the roadmap agreed by both States in 2021 between Arce and the then Chilean President Sebastian Pinera.

The president of the ICJ, US judge Joan Donoghue, has urged the governments of the two Latin American countries to hold “continuous consultations” to guarantee the rights and protection of the Silala waters, reports the ABI agency.

The ICJ has declared this Thursday that “there are no doubts” that the Silala is an “international” river, as the administrations of both countries have recognized, in line with customary international law. While it has ratified that Bolivia has the right to maintain or dismantle infrastructure present in its territory.

The magistrate –who has not explicitly ruled in favor or against any of the countries– has announced that the court has rejected Chile’s claim, which accused La Paz of an alleged breach of the obligation to notify the use of the waters.

Likewise, it has dismissed the counterclaim presented by Bolivia against Chile, so that the country will not have to compensate the Bolivian government, which claimed to have sovereignty over what it has described as “artificial channels” that serve to drain the flow of the Silala.

Former Bolivian President Evo Morales has reacted to the ICJ ruling by criticizing Chile’s reaction, which calls the ruling a “triumph.”

“The ICJ has denied Chile’s five claims for the use of the Silala waters and has recognized Bolivia’s sovereignty over that natural resource and its channeling. But the former Chilean Foreign Minister Heraldo Munoz speaks of ‘triumph'”, declared the former president Bolivian.

Morales, who has criticized Munoz for using “intrigue to get political gain”, recalled that the court recognizes Bolivia’s sovereignty, while “Chile has no vested rights.”

“The highest court of justice in the world also determines the equitable and reasonable use of the waters within the framework of continuous cooperation between both countries. This ruling that recognizes our sovereignty over the Silala Waters is the product of a State policy”, the ex-leader has acknowledged.

However, he thanked the efforts of the country’s authorities “who worked with dedication and patriotism in this cause.”

Morales assured that Chile was “stealing” the water resources from the riverbed, in such a way that he affirmed that the demand in The Hague was going to “establish sovereignty.”

The court noted that the Chilean authorities have the “right to make equitable and reasonable use” of the water and “should not indemnify Bolivia” given that the country is “duly” using the water resources.

The territorial conflict dates back to 1879, when Bolivia lost its exit to the Pacific in the war it waged with Chile, which culminated in the Treaty of Peace and Friendship of 1904, on the right of free transit of Bolivian goods to and from ports in this ocean.

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