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World Court Digest

III. The International Court of Justice
3. THE PROCEDURE OF THE INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE
3.1. General Questions

¤ Arrest Warrant of 11 April 2000
(Democratic Republic of the Congo v. Belgium)
Judgment of 14 February 2002

[p. 59 S.O. Koroma] 1. The Court in paragraph 46 of the Judgment acknowledged that, as a matter of legal logic, the question of the alleged violation of the immunities of the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Democratic Republic of the Congo should be addressed only once there has been a determination in respect of the legality of the purported exercise of universal jurisdiction by Belgium. However, in the context of the present case and given the main legal issues in contention, the Court chose another technique, another method, of exercising its discretion in arranging the order in which it will respond when more than one issue has been submitted for determination. This technique is not only consistent with the jurisprudence of the Court, but the Court is also entitled to such an approach, given the position taken by the Parties.