Dhaka: Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dipu Moni left for Hamburg, Germany on Wednesday morning to present Dhaka's case in the maritime boundary dispute with Burma at the International Tribunal for Law of the Sea (ITLOS), said a Bangladesh official.
Burma and Bangladesh agreed to solve the maritime delimitation between the two neighboring countries under the United Nations tribunal. After this agreement, ITLOS announced public hearings would start on the dispute concerning delimitation of the maritime boundary between Burma and Bangladesh in the Bay of Bengal on 8 September in Hamburg, Germany.
On 5 September, the UN tribunal began a public sitting at which Thomas Mensah, judge ad hoc chosen by Bangladesh, and Professor Bernard H. Oxman, Judge ad hoc chosen by Burma, began the solemn declaration required under Article 9 of the Rules of the Tribunal.
The hearing that began on 5 September at the ITLOS in Hamburg will continue through 22 September.
The tribunal will hear the first round of oral arguments from Bangladesh on 8, 9, 12, and 13 September, while Burma will state its arguments on 15, 16, 19, and 20 September. In the second round, Bangladesh will present its oral arguments in favor of its claim on 21 and 22 September, and Burma will present on 24 September.
The hearing will be held in the main courtroom of the tribunal and is open to the public, according to a press release of ITLOS.
The Bangladesh Foreign Minister will present Bangladesh's views on equitable sharing of the Exclusive Economic Zone and continental shelf in the Bay of Bengal, against Burma's preferred method of equidistant delimitation.
Bangladesh lodged objections with the UN regarding the claims of India and Burma on 8 October, 2009, as it has disputes with both countries on the natural prolongation of the continental shelf and the baseline.
The ITLOS is an independent judicial body established by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea to adjudicate disputes arising out of interpretation and application of the convention. It is empowered to settle such disputes between states.
Officials at the foreign ministry said Dhaka hopes to get the final verdict on the case with Burma by March next year.
Additional Bangladesh Foreign Secretary (UNCLOS) Rear Admiral (retired) Khurshid Alam, who will accompany the Foreign Minister, reported that the closing hearing on Bangladesh's arguments will be held on 21 and 22 September.
