Colombia says no to UN ruling until rights defended

Colombia will not apply a UN court ruling that shifts some of its resource-rich waters to Nicaragua until the Andean nation is sure that "the rights of Colombians are well defended," President Juan Manuel Santos said.

The Hague-based International Court of Justice last week shocked Colombia by reducing a large expanse of its maritime territory, drawing the border in favor of Nicaragua while giving a cluster of disputed islands to Bogota in a binding ruling.

"I'm not going to apply that ruling by the court in The Hague until guaranteeing that the rights of Colombians are well defended," Santos said in a speech. Santos did not specify which rights he wanted guaranteed.

Source: Reuters