THE HAGUE, 24 October 2001. Their Majesties the King and the Queen of Spain were received today by the International Court of Justice at the Peace Palace in The Hague, seat
of the Court.
The Spanish sovereigns were accompanied by an official delegation consisting inter alia of H.E. Mr. J. Piqué i Camps, Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, and H.E. Mr. C.
M. de Benavides y Salas, Ambassador of Spain to the Netherlands.
King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía were welcomed by the President of the Court, Judge Gilbert Guillaume, and by the Registrar, Mr. Philippe Couvreur. They were then escorted
to the Red Room, where the President of the Court and Mrs. Guillaume introduced the Members of the Court and their spouses, and the Registrar introduced certain senior
Registry officials. The Spanish royal couple subsequently signed the visitors' book and gifts were exchanged.
At a solemn sitting organized in the Great Hall of Justice and attended by the diplomatic corps and representatives of the Dutch authorities, the Permanent Court of
Arbitration, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), the Iran-United States Claims Tribunal and other international institutions located in The
Hague, the President of the Court made a speech, to which the King of Spain replied.
President Guillaume recalled the contribution of Spain, the cradle of a brilliant civilization, to the development of the international law and justice. "Spain can take
pride in including among its sons some of the thinkers who presided over the birth of present-day international law", the President of the Court stressed, citing the names
of Francisco de Vitoria, Domingo de Soto and Francisco Suárez, all scholars who "were the first to attempt to set the limits of action" of modern States. President Guillaume
hailed "Spain's leading role" in the development of arbitration and its steadfast commitment to the International Court of Justice and its predecessor, the Permanent Court
of International Justice. Spain accepted the compulsory jurisdiction of the Permanent Court as early as 1928 and the two institutions have enjoyed the support of many
renowned Spanish jurists, including Rafael Altamira y Crevea, Julio López Oliván, Federico de Castro y Bravo and Santiago Torres Bernárdez. Furthermore, President Guillaume
stated, Spain has been a party to several contentious cases, inter alia that of the Barcelona Traction, Light and Power Company, which solution left its mark on the ICJ
jurisprudence.
For his part, the King of Spain stated that his presence at the Peace Palace, on the day of the commemoration of the 56th anniversary of the entry into force of the Charter
of the United Nations, "not only attest[ed] Spain' s confidence in the Court", but constituted also "a reassertion of the principles and values which inspire [his country's]
foreign action: peace, freedom, human rights and co-operation to the development". Emphasizing that the Court is "the universal judicial institution by excellence and a true
historical acquisition for the international society", the King stressed that endeavours should be made to convince a larger number of States to accept the compulsory
jurisdiction of the Court "in order to ensure a stronger respect by [those same] States of their international obligations and to obtain a broader guarantee that disputes
and tensions will be solved by peaceful means". "Peace", King Juan Carlos further said, "should be a way of life rather than a longing and because of this it represents the
highest conquest for States and mankind". "The Court, which stands as a symbol for this peace, should be perceived by nations as a guide and a source of inspiration in their
actions vis-à-vis other peoples and nations of the world", he concluded.
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The texts of the speeches delivered by the President of the Court (in English, in French and in Spanish) and the King of Spain (in Spanish) can be found on the website of
the Court.
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Website of the Court:
www.icj-cij.org
