World Court - Chile not forced to negotiate over Bolivia sea access

THE HAGUE (Reuters) - Landlocked Bolivia cannot force Chile to negotiate over granting it "sovereign access" to the Pacific Ocean, judges at the International Court of Justice ruled Monday, in a setback for President Evo Morales, who was in court for the ruling.

Bolivia surrendered most of its former coastline to Chile in a 1904 treaty following the War of the Pacific. The Andean neighbours have held occasional talks over a possible corridor to the sea for Bolivia ever since, but judges at the United Nations court ruled that did not create any obligation on Chile to actually negotiate one.

(Reporting by Toby Sterling)