Peru's Foreign Minister Jose Garcia Belaunde confirmed on Tuesday that his country's government has filed a maritime lawsuit before the International Court of Justice in The Hague to establish its maritime boundary with Chile.
"Most important of all is that Peru presented the maritime border lawsuit against Chile before the Hague Court without major stridency and without the presence of discomfort from both sides," Garcia Belaunde said.
The minister said both governments have shown a mature and civilized position on the maritime limits.
There "is a conflict, a difference" between the two countries, but "as civilized countries we are going to use peaceful means to solve the controversy," he said.
"We need sufficient time to prepare the documents and allegations that are rigorous," said the country's top diplomat.
"I cannot say when we are going to the Hague Court, but so far we have contacted lawyers and experts on the issue abroad," he added.
Peru claims at least 38,000 square km of sea from Chile, starting from milestone No. 1 at a coastal site called Concordia.
Chile says that the frontier is not at Concordia and that the
maritime border has been fixed in two agreements on fishing signed in 1952 and 1954.
However, the wording of the previous documents was too vague and the maritime boundary has become an obstacle in bilateral relations.
Source: Xinhua
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