THE HAGUE, 12 October 2001.Tonight, the General Assembly and the Security Council of the United Nations elected Mr. Nabil Elaraby (Egypt) as a Member of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) with immediate effect.

Mr. Elaraby succeeds Judge Mohammed Bedjaoui (Algeria), former Member and President of the Court, who resigned as of 30 September 2001.Pursuant to Article 14 of the Statute of the Court, he will hold office for the remainder of Judge Bedjaoui's term, which will expire on 5 February 2006.

A biography of Mr. Elaraby is annexed to this press release.