Court backs Santos in Nicaragua boundary row

Colombia's constitutional court ruled on Friday that applying a decision by the International Court of Justice that granted Nicaragua a disputed area of Caribbean waters could not take effect without a treaty between the countries.

The court's verdict upholds the position taken by Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, who said the court's decision was not applicable according to Colombia's constitution without such a treaty.

The court in November 2012 reduced the area of ocean that belonged to Colombia around its cluster of Caribbean islands, determining that a section of their maritime shelf belonged to Nicaragua.

Source: Reuters