Nicaragua Dropping Its Costa Rica Case : World Court Suit Withdrawn After 5-Nation Accord

Nicaragua told the World Court today that it is dropping its case against Costa Rica in which the Sandinista government accused its Central American neighbor of tolerating contra rebel operations on its territory.

In a communique released today, the court said that “by a letter bearing this date (Aug. 12) . . . Nicaragua has given notice of the discontinuance of the proceedings . . . against Costa Rica.”

Court spokesman Arthur Witteveen said there is no mention in today’s letter of a similar lawsuit pending against Honduras.

Plans to Drop the Case

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega had said his government would drop the case against Costa Rica in view of last week’s five-nation peace plan for Central America.

Nicaragua filed the suits against both its neighbors in July, 1986, to seek a halt to alleged Costa Rican and Honduran consent for operations mounted from their territories by the contras.

In its letter to the court, the Sandinista government asked the tribunal to “take the necessary steps to implement this request,” the court communique said.

Under court rules, Court President Nagendra Singh of India must notify Costa Rica of Nicaragua’s request and set a deadline for Costa Rica’s response.

Costa Rica Must Agree

The court is only empowered to drop the case from its docket if Costa Rica agrees, either explicitly or tacitly by passing the deadline without reacting, according to the rules of court.

No such deadline has yet been set, Witteveen said.

The Central American peace pact, signed Friday by the leaders of Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua, called for a general cease-fire in the region, as well as a cutoff of foreign aid to the contras within 90 days.

Nicaragua filed the complaints against Costa Rica and Honduras a month after the World Court denounced U.S. support for the contras as a violation of international law.

At the time, the World Court ordered an immediate halt to all U.S. activities against the Sandinistas and said the U.S. government must pay reparations to Nicaragua.

The Reagan Administration had challenged the court’s jurisdiction in the case, and after the court overruled the United States on that point, Washington boycotted the remainder of the proceedings.