A Mixed Ruling for a Caribbean Dispute

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/20/world/americas/a-mixed-ruling-for-a-caribbean-dispute.html

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The International Court of Justice in The Hague on Monday gave Nicaragua control of a large area of the Caribbean Sea that had long been part of the territorial waters of Colombia. But the court ruled that a group of seven tiny islands sought by Nicaragua should remain under Colombian control. The ruling was meant to close a long-running case filed by Nicaragua. The court ruled in 2007 that three larger islands belonged to Colombia. The group of smaller islands is much closer to the coast of Nicaragua than to Colombia, and the ruling could expand Nicaragua’s access to oil and gas deposits. Both countries have proposed drilling in the seabed around the islands, although environmentalists have raised concerns.