Legal title and effectivites as grounds for state sovereignty over a territory

Abstract

Ovu su raspravu potaknule dvije nedavno izrečene presude Međunarodnog suda u Haagu, i to ona iz 2002. godine o suverenosti nad Pulau Ligitan i Pulau Sipadan, između Indonezije i Malezije, te ona iz 2007. o teritorijalnom i morskom sporu u Karipskom moru između Nikaragve i Hondurasa. Obje su odlučivale o suverenosti nad malim nenaseljenim ili slabo naseljenim otocima, udaljenima od obala država u pitanju. Uz to je druga presuda razgraničila morske prostore između parničnih strana. Te se presude uklapaju u prijašnju sudsku praksu i čine važan doprinos nadogradnji pravnih pravila iz tih oblasti. Naposljetku se u toj svjetlosti raspravlja o zahtjevima i jednostranim aktima Slovenije glede morskih prostora na sjevernom Jadranu.This paper deals with the two judgments recently rendered by the International Court of Justice at The Hague. The 2002 Judgment relates to the case concerning sovereignty over Pulau Ligitan and Lulau Sipadan between Indonesioa and Malaysia. The 2007 Judgment was rendered in the case on territorial and maritime Dispute between Nicaragua and Honduras in the Caribbean Sea. In both cases the Court decided on the sovereignty over some small unpopulated or sparsely populated islands far from the coasts of the disputing parties. These formations were recently claimed by the respective states as a consequence of their proclamation of the exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Because no disputing party proved its treaty-based title over the islands, the Court examined their claims of title based on the \u27\u27uti possidetis\u27\u27 principle. However because of obsence of any legal title, the Court decided the cases on the basis of effectivites of the stronger claim. (...