Argentina - Chile Laguna del Desierto Arbitration

Abstract

Abstract: The Laguna del Desierto arbitration determined the demarcation of the section of the Argentine-Chilean border between boundary mark 62 (48°51’S) and Mount Fitz-Roy (49°16’S). It brought an end to a disagreement that threatened to escalate into war in 1965. From 1810 until 1994, Argentina and Chile were unable to agree on whose territory the Laguna del Desierto was located. It was a long process leading to a peaceful settlement of the dispute that became an example for the Latin American region. It was the first time that countries in South America allowed regional experts to decide a territorial dispute instead of having European monarchs or US umpires settle the border. The Latin American tribunal rendered its arbitral award on 21 October 1994. It decided that the Laguna del Desierto belongs to Argentina.