Bolivia asked the worldwide Court of Justice in 2013 to order Chile to negotiate over Bolivia’s claim to at least part of the 240-mile strip of the Pacific coast.
The worldwide Court of Justice will continue to hear a case brought by Bolivia against Chile seeking to force its neighbour to enter negotiations to grant it unfettered access to the Pacific Ocean, the court said on Thursday.
Bolivia’s court claim is based on a series of bilateral talks held between the two nations in the 1970s, when the subject of access to the Pacific was discussed.
Chile argued in its preliminary objection that the Court has no jurisdiction under that provision to rule on the dispute submitted by Bolivia because of the present territories were settled by an arrangement set out in the 1904 Peace Treaty, and that they remain governed by that Treaty.
Rodriguez, who served as the Bolivian president in 2005 and 2006 added that the country sought “a balanced, mutually convenient dialogue that can lead to a final solution”.
But the court rejected that request in a 14-2 ruling.
But the dispute is far from over.
People took to the streets of La Paz in celebration of the ICJ’s decision, with many chanting “Ocean for Bolivia”. It only means that the case will continue. “We will always act with great humility, serenity, but also with great dignity”, said Morales in an interview moments before taking off to New York, where he will take part in the United Nations General Assembly.
However, Chile’s President Michelle Bachelet criticized the decision, saying it “does not affect our territorial integrity”.
The Chilean government slammed the decision on its official Twitter account, referring to a treaty signed by both countries in 1904. “It confuses rights with aspirations, and completely distorts the history between Chile and Bolivia”.
Bolivia says it will boost its natural gas and mineral exports with sovereign access to the ocean, though it already has low-priced access to the sea through Chilean ports. Its rulings are binding and can not be appealed.