World court: scant disagreement in Chile, Bolivia water row

MOLLY QUELL
Associated Press

THE HAGUE (AP) — The International Court of Justice says it had little to rule on in a long-running dispute over the Silala River which flows from Bolivia to Chile as the Latin American neighbors have mostly resolved their differences. The United Nations’ highest court spent most of the hour-long hearing on Thursday explaining that the two countries’ legal claims over the short waterway in the Atacama Desert were “without objection” since both parties now agree that the Silala River is “an international watercourse.” Chile’s president said the ruling “recognized that Chile’s historical and current use of the waters” is in line with international law. His Bolivian counterpart said the decision has confirmed “our rights over the waters of Silala.”