HAGUE.- The International Court of Justice (ICJ) rejected the adoption of provisional measures against Ecuador for the assault on the Mexican embassy in Quito, for not understanding that it is not necessary to adopt any emergency order before ruling on the merits of the case initiated by Mexico.
The Ecuadorian security forces broke into the Mexican Embassy on April 5 to arrest the former vice president Jorge Glas, implicated in several corruption cases. This assault led to President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, to break diplomatic relations and file a complaint with the ICJ.
The Mexican side requested the court in The Hague to adopt provisional measures, so that Ecuador take “appropriate and immediate” steps to guarantee the full protection of the Embassy and its staff and refrain from any action that could “aggravate or expand” the dispute, in which practically all Latin American countries have placed themselves on the side of Mexico.
The ICJ determined that the urgency alleged by Mexicoas stated in a resolution announced this Thursday, despite the fact that it does remember that the “inviolability” of diplomatic facilities and personnel is of “fundamental importance” in matters of international relations.
The April 5 assault, which occurred hours after Mexico granted asylum to former Vice President Jorge Glas, sparked widespread condemnation in Latin America and aggravated tensions already rising between the two countries since Glas, a convicted criminal and fugitive, took shelter in the embassy. in December.
At a hearing late last month, Alejandro Celorio Alcántara, legal advisor to Mexico’s Foreign Ministry, told the ICJ that Ecuador’s actions had crossed “lines in international law that should not be crossed.”
This Thursday’s hearing still corresponded to a preliminary phase of the case presented by Mexico, which accuses Ecuador of violating international law and asks the ICJ to suspend Ecuador’s membership in the United Nations until the country issues “a public apology recognizing the violation of the fundamental principles of international law” and accept reparation.
The case will likely take years to resolve. Mexico wanted the court to order Ecuador to take “appropriate and immediate measures to provide full protection and security to the diplomatic premises” and prevent future intrusions. Furthermore, that Ecuador allows Mexico to vacate its diplomatic facilities and the homes of diplomats in the country.
In hearings at the Hague-based court, the head of Ecuador’s legal team, Andrés Terán Parral, defended the raid on the Mexican embassy and told judges that his country had acted to arrest Glas, whom he described as a “common criminal”.
He also stated that there was no need for the ICJ to intervene because Quito had already taken the measures requested by Mexico.
Source: With information from Europa Press / AP
