
U.N. court rules in favor of Chile in sea dispute with Bolivia
Oct. 1 (UPI) -- The International Court of Justice ruled Monday that Chile is under no obligation to negotiate granting neighbor Bolivia access to the Pacific Ocean, ending a 134-year-old dispute between the two countries. The court, the United Nations' highest, voted 12-3 to dismiss the case after five years of deliberations. Bolivia became landlocked in the early 20th century after losing the War of the Pacific to Chile, which claimed some 250 miles of Bolivian coast as its own as part of the 1904 Treaty of Peace and Friendship. But Bolivia has demanded access to the ocean for decades because much of the country's imports must go through Chilean ports. "Restoring Bolivia's sovereign access to the sea would make a small difference to Chile, but it would transform the destiny of Bolivia,"...