HAMBURG, 13 August. The hearing on the requests for provisional measures in the dispute concerning Southern Bluefin Tuna between Australia and New Zealand against Japan will be held from 18 to 20 August 1999. The hearing will be held in the courtroom at the temporary premises in the centre of Hamburg. The sittings are scheduled from 10.00 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday, 18 and 19 of August 1999, and from 9.30 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. on Friday, 20 August 1999.

A brief public sitting of the Tribunal will be held at 10.00 a.m. on 16 August 1999. It is expected that the sitting will deal with preliminary proceedings regarding the Judge ad hoc chosen by Australia and New Zealand.

Every State that is a party in a case before the Tribunal is entitled to choose a person to participate as a Judge (ad hoc) if the Tribunal does not include a Judge upon the bench who has the nationality of that party. In this case, there is a Judge of Japanese nationality on the 21 Judges’ bench.