AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – Chile asked judges at the World Court on Friday to award it “equitable and reasonable” use of the waters of the Silala river, which runs from Bolivia into Chile, in the latest dispute between the South American neighbours.
Bolivia, which argues that Chile is making use of the waters of the Silala without fair compensation, is due to respond on Monday. The court, formally known as the International Court of Justice, is the United Nations’ court for resolving disputes between states.
Chile agent Ximena Fuentes asked judges to “affirm the basic principles of equitable and reasonable utilisation in these times of increasing fresh water scarcity”.
The court is holding two weeks of oral arguments in the case, which began in 2016 following moves by Bolivia’s then-President Evo Morales to assert more ownership rights over the Silala.
In 2018, the court ruled in Chile’s favour in a case brought by Bolivia seeking that Chile enter into negotiations over granting land-locked Bolivia a corridor to the sea.
(Reporting by Toby Sterling; Editing by Jan Harvey)
