玻利维亚起诉智利

 　　玻利维亚起诉智利

       LA PAZ, April 24 (Xinhua) -- Landlocked Bolivia Wednesday filed a suit against Chile at the United Nations International Court of Justice (ICJ), demanding its neighbor provide it with an access route to the Pacific Ocean.

　　Bolivian President Evo Morales said at a press conference at the presidential palace in La Paz that a top-level delegation¹ filed the suit early Wednesday at the Hague-based World Court.

　　"We have decided² to resort to the International Court of Justice, so that justice will be done for Bolivia," Morales added.

　　Morales said he was confident that the court's verdict will benefit Bolivia, as the suit is historically, legally and economically justified³.

　　Bolivia's territorial⁴ dispute with Chile can be traced back to the 1879 War of the Pacific, during which Bolivia lost 120,000 square km of land and 400 km of coast.

　　Chilean President Sebastian Pinera reacted Wednesday, saying his government will resist any attempt to accommodate Bolivia's petition.

　　"I want to fully⁵ guarantee each and every one of my compatriots that we will use all instruments included in treaties and in international law (and) we will defend with full force each square meter of our territory and our sea," said Pinera.

　　Pinera said a 1904 border treaty signed by the two nations "is fully valid," but Bolivia claims it was pressured into signing the agreement.

　　Bolivia's suit calls on the World Court to obligate Chile to dialogue for a "prompt and effective" solution to the dispute.

　　Bolivian Foreign Minister David Choquehuanca read a statement after filing the suit that explained the main arguments of the legal action.

　　"The Bolivian suit asks the International Court of Justice to rule that Chile has the obligation to negotiate, in good faith, with Bolivia a prompt and effective agreement to grant fully sovereign access to the Pacific Ocean. This request is not based in the 1904 Treaty," Choquehuanca said.

　　"The claim is not an unfriendly act against Chile or against its people. Bolivia seeks to find a definitive⁶ solution to a centennial problem of hemispheric interest," said Choquehuanca.

　　He added that Bolivia resorted to the court "after exhausting all means of dialogue" and "the constant delays of Chilean governments."

　　Meanwhile, the two nations' northern neighbor, Peru, which has its own territorial dispute with Chile, appeared to distance itself from Bolivia's claim, calling it a bilateral⁷ issue.

　　Peruvian Foreign Minister Rafael Roncagliolo said the Bolivia-Chile contention⁸ will have no impact on Peru's own case against Chile, where a decision is expected at the ICJ by mid-year.

1 delegation   

n.代表团；派遣

参考例句：

• The statement of our delegation was singularly appropriate to the occasion.我们代表团的声明非常适合时宜。
• We shall inform you of the date of the delegation's arrival.我们将把代表团到达的日期通知你。

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 justified   

a.正当的，有理的

参考例句：

• She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
• The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。

4 territorial   

adj.领土的，领地的

参考例句：

• The country is fighting to preserve its territorial integrity.该国在为保持领土的完整而进行斗争。
• They were not allowed to fish in our territorial waters.不允许他们在我国领海捕鱼。

5 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

6 definitive   

adj.确切的，权威性的；最后的，决定性的

参考例句：

• This book is the definitive guide to world cuisine.这本书是世界美食的权威指南。
• No one has come up with a definitive answer as to why this should be so.至于为什么该这样，还没有人给出明确的答复。

7 bilateral   

adj.双方的，两边的，两侧的

参考例句：

• They have been negotiating a bilateral trade deal.他们一直在商谈一项双边贸易协定。
• There was a wide gap between the views of the two statesmen on the bilateral cooperation.对双方合作的问题，两位政治家各自所持的看法差距甚大。

8 contention   

n.争论，争辩，论战；论点，主张

参考例句：

• The pay increase is the key point of contention. 加薪是争论的焦点。
• The real bone of contention,as you know,is money.你知道，争论的真正焦点是钱的问题。