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Peace Fund

El Salvador and Honduras

In September 2002, the President of El Salvador, Francisco Flores, and the President of Honduras, Ricardo Maduro, undertook to complete the demarcation of the border between their two countries within 18 months. All pending areas of the border had been established by a 1992 ruling of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), but certain technical difficulties encountered when applying the ruling prevented the full execution of the demarcation process. As a result of these difficulties, and of the decision to expedite the demarcation of the border, the two governments requested technical assistance from the General Secretariat of the OAS and from the Pan American Institute of Geography and History (PAIGH). The General Peace Treaty signed in 1980 by the two countries contained provisions assigning specific responsibilities to the PAIGH for naming a third-party expert charged with settling technical differences between the Parties with respect to the demarcation of the border.

Between July 2003 and August 2004, the OAS and the Institute carried out a series of on-site observations, based on the text of the 1992 Court judgment, on documents provided by the Special Honduras-El Salvador Demarcation Commission, on satellite imagery, and on other technical tools, and a definitive solution respected by both countries was reached and the full demarcation of the border completed.

Documents

Note from the Permanent Mission of El Salvador forwarding a copy of the speech addressed to the nation by the President of the Republic on september 10, 2002. Download

Press Release

May 6, 2003
A PETICION DE HONDURAS Y EL SALVADOR, OEA ANALIZA ASPECTOS TECNICOS

OEA analiza aspectos técnicos (only available in Spanish)

April 30, 2003
OAS APPOINTS TECHNICAL EXPERT TO ASSIST IN DEMARCATION OF EL SALVADOR-HONDURAS BORDER