UN General Assembly
1973

85. In the field of the settlement of disputes the small nations could achieve gains by showing a readiness to submit disputes to the International Court or to arbitration. There is a disturbing tendency for some influential countries to pay lip-service to the importance of international law and the role of the Court, but in practice to take all possible steps to avoid its jurisdiction. The more countries that accept the compulsory jurisdiction of the Court the more internationally unacceptable such evasive practices will become and the greater will be the pressure for the unreserved acceptance of the Court's jurisdiction.