Top UN court declines to issue preliminary orders in Mexico-Ecuador dispute over Quito embassy raid

By MIKE CORDER
Associated Press

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The top United Nations court has declined to issue an immediate order for Ecuador to protect Mexican diplomatic property following the storming of Mexico’s embassy in Quito to arrest a former vice president. International Court of Justice President Nawaf Salam said Thursday that pledges made by Ecuador in a letter to the court and in public hearings last month “encompass the concerns expressed by Mexico” in its request for interim measures. He said that given Ecuador’s assurances, “the court considers that there is at present no urgency” requiring preliminary orders. Ecuador raided Mexico’s embassy on April 5 to arrest former Vice President Jorge Glas, a convicted criminal and fugitive.