The representatives of the governments of Guyana and Suriname are to meet today in Hamburg, Germany with the President of the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea, Judge Dolliver Nelson.
The meeting, according to a release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is for consultations on the selection of the other members of the five-member panel that will hear their maritime boundary dispute.
The Guyana and Suriname governments have already named their arbitrators, Professors Frank Smith and Hans Smith respectively and the two, together with the governments' legal advisers, were expected to decide on three others from whom a chairman would be selected.
The meeting with Judge Nelson is probably an indication of their inability to reach a decision on the other three arbitrators.
In February, Guyana invoked the provisions of Article 287 of the Convention to obtain a legal binding settlement of its maritime border dispute with Suriname having tried in vain to reach agreement on joint exploration and exploitation arrangements pending the settlement of the dispute.
The international law firm of Clavard, Swain and Moore is representing Suriname, while former Commonwealth Secretary-General and former Guyana Attorney-General, Sir Shridath Ramphal is leading Guyana's legal team which includes United States-based attorneys, Paul Reichler and Pavan Akhavan.