The International Law Commission Fifty Years After: an Evaluation
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THE INTERNATIONAL LAW COMMISSION FIFTY YEARS AFTER: AN EVALUATION Proceedings of the Seminar held to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the International Law Commission, 21-22 April 1998 LA COMMISSION DU DROIT INTERNATIONAL CINQUANTE ANS APRES: BRAN D'ACTIVITES Actes du Seminaire organis6 pour commemorer le cinquanti~me anniversaire de la Commission du droit international, 21-22 avril 1998 UNITED NATIONS NATIONS UNIES NEW YORK, 2000 UNITED NATIONS PUBLICATION Sales No. E/F.00.V.3 ISBN 92-1-033081-1 PUBLICATION DES NATIONS UNIES Num~ro de vente : E/F.00.V.3 ISBN 92-1-033081-1 Copyright © United Nations, 2000 - Copyright © Nations Unies, 2000 All rights reserved - Tous droits r6serv6s TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE DES MATIIRES Page PREFACE BY THE SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS, MR. KOFI ANNAN ................ vii PREFACE PAR LE SECRTAIRE GtNRAL DES NATIONS UNIES, M. KOFI ANNAN ............................ viii FOREW ORD ......................................... ix AVANT-PROPOS ..................................... x SECRETARIAT OF THE COLLOQUIUM ................. xi SECRETARIAT DU COLLOQUE ........................ xii OPENING REMARKS BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE FIFTI- ETH SESSION OF THE INTERNATIONAL LAW COMMIS- SION, MR. JOAO CLEMENTE BAENA SOARES ......... 1 REMARQUES LIMINAIRES DU PRItSIDENT DE LA CIN- QUANTIEME SESSION DE LA COMMISSION DU DROIT INTERNATIONAL, M. JOAO CLEMENTE BAENA SOA- RE S ..... .... ... .. .... .. .. .. .. .... .... .. .. .... ... .. 1 WELCOMING REMARKS BY THE LEGAL COUNSEL OF THE UNITED NATIONS, MR. HANS CORELL .......... 3 REMARQUES D'ACCUEIL PAR LE CONSEILLER JURIDI- QUE DES NATIONS UNIES, M. HANS CORELL ......... 3 I AN OVERVIEW OF THE WORK OF THE INTERNATIONAL LAW COMMISSION: 1948-1998 ....................... 5 APER(QU DES TRAVAUX DE LA COMMISSION DU DROIT INTERNATIONAL: 1948-1998 ........................ 5 Introduction par i'animateur, M. Doudou Thiam ........ 5 Exposk par M. Ahmed Mahiou ....................... 6 13 Presentation by Mr. John Dugard ..................... 16 Exposk par M. Constantin Economides ................. 19 Presentation by Mr. Qizhi He ......................... Open-floor discussion/ddbat .......................... 21 II ,INTERNATIONAL RESPONSIBILITY AND LIABILITY": cOMMENTS ON THE COMMISSION'S APPROACH ..... 29 <<RESPONSABILITI DES tTATS ET RESPONSABILITt IN- TERNATIONALE >>: COMMENTAIRES SUR L'APPRO- CHE DE LA COMMISSION ........................... 29 Introduction par l'animateur, M. Jorge Illueca .......... 29 Expos6 par M. Christian Dominick ..................... 30 Presentation by Mr. Bruno Simma ..................... 43 Presentation by Mr. Emmanuel Akwei Addo ............ 47 Open-floor discussion/dibat .......................... 50 III "STATE IMMUNITIES": CURRENT PROBLEMS INHERITED FROM THE PAST? ............................... 55 ((LES IMMUNITES DE L'ITAT >: PROBLEMES ACTUELS HtRITtS DU PASSE ................................ 55 Introduction by the Chairman, Mr. Raul Goco ........... 55 Presentation by Mr. Lucius Caflisch ................... 56 Presentation by Mr. Robert Rosenstock ................ 62 Presentation by Mr. Enrique Candioti ................. 64 Open-floor discussion/dibat .......................... 66 IV "LAW OF TREATIES": QUESTIONS REMAIN OPEN ....... 73 ((LE DROIT DES TRAITES >>: QUESTIONS NON RkSOLUES 73 Introduction by the Chairman, Mr. Mochtar Kusuma- Atm adja ......................................... 73 Exposk par M. Marcelo Kohen ........................ 74 Presentation by Ms. Lori Fisler Damrosch .............. 90 Presentation by Mr. Ian Brownlie ..................... 96 Presentation by Mr. Peter C. R. Kabatsi ................ 99 Presentation by Mr. Bernardo Sepulveda ............... 101 Open-floor discussion/dibat .......................... 104 V FUTURE TOPICS AND PROBLEMS OF THE INTERNA- TIONAL LEGISLATIVE PROCESS .................... 11 LES SUJETS jk VENIR ET LES PROBLtMES DU PROCESSUS LEGISLATIF INTERNATIONAL ...................... II1 Introduction par l'animateur, M. Guillaume Pambou-Tchi- vounda ......................................... 11 Expose par M. Yves Daudet .......................... 113 Presentation by Mr. Vaughan Lowe .................... 122 Presentation by Mr. Gerhard Hafner ................... 138 Presentation by Mr. Zdzislaw Galicki .................. 142 Open-floor discussion/dibat .......................... 145 VI USES AND PERILS OF CODIFICATION .................. 163 LES USAGES ET LES DANGERS DE LA CODIFICATION .. 163 Introduction by the Chairman, Mr. Igor Ivanovich Luka- shuk ............................................ 163 Presentation by Mr. Georges Abi-Saab ................. 164 Presentation by Mr. Didier Opertti-Badan .............. 173 Presentation by Mr. Awn AI-Khasawneh ............... 176 Open-floor discussion/dibat .......................... 180 CLOSING REMARKS BY THE CHAIRMAN OF THE FIFTI- ETH SESSION OF THE INTERNATIONAL LAW COMMIS- SION, MR. JOAO CLEMENTE BAENA SOARES ......... 197 REMARQUES DE CLOTURE DU PRESIDENT DE LA CIN- QUANTIEME SESSION DE LA COMMISSION DU DROIT INTERNATIONAL, M. JOAO CLEMENTE BAENA SOA- RE S ............................................... 197 ANN EXES ........................................... 198 AN N EX ES ........................................... 198 A. - CURRENT MEMBERSHIP OF THE INTERNATIONAL LAW COMMISSION ................................. 198 A. - MEMBRES DE LA COMMISSION DU DROIT INTERNATIO- NAL ......................................... 198 B. - STATUTE OF THE INTERNATIONAL LAW COMMISSION. 200 B. - STATUT DE LA COMMISSION DU DROIT INTERNATIONAL 207 PREFACE The International Law Commission, established pursuant to Gen- eral Assembly resolution 174 (11) of 21 November 1947, is a unique body, composed ofjurists and diplomats, professors and practitioners. It reflects the diversity and interdependence of today's world. In 1997, the Commission marked its fiftieth anniversary with a United Nations colloquium on the "Progressive Development and Codi- fication of International Law". And in April 1998, fifty years after its first members were elected, it organized a seminar in Geneva, focused mainly on an evaluation of its work up to that date. This publication contains the proceedings of that seminar. During its first half-century, the Commission made an immense contribution to the codification and progressive development of interna- tional law. Not only did it draft global conventions on major topics, rang- ing from diplomatic relations to the law of treaties, without which the conduct of international relations as we know it today would be unthink- able, but the Commission also left its mark on the evolution of contempo- rary international law, contributing to its dissemination and its better un- derstanding. And it was instrumental in fostering aspects of law which subtly but undeniably pervade many different areas of international life. I am confident that this trend will continue, and indeed will become more widely recognized in the new millennium. I believe, moreover, that the statements of those who took part in the seminar included in this pub- lication will make an important contribution to that process. Evaluating such a rich and diverse achievement is no ordinary task. The seminar, like the colloquium that preceded it, should be seen as part of a continuous review process, emanating from the Commission itself. The Commission, in other words, does not rest on its laurels but reviews its own work critically, with an eye to the future. That only strengthens my confidence that its next fifty years will be as rich and fruitful, as diver- sified and wise,-and therefore, no doubt, as hard to evaluate-as the first fifty have been. Kofi A. Annan PREFACE La Commission du droit international, cr66e par la r~solu- tion 174 (II) de 'Assembl6e g~n~rale en date du 21 novembre 1947, est un organe unique, compos6 de juristes, de diplomates, d'universitaires et de praticiens, qui refl~te la diversit6 et l'interd6pendance du monde con- temporain. En 1997, la Commission a tenu un colloque des Nations Unies sur le d~veloppement progressif et la codification du droit international i l'occasion de son cinquantime anniversaire. En outre, en avril 1998, cin- quante ans apr6s l'6lection de ses premiers membres, elle a organis6 i Ge- n~ve un s~minaire essentiellement consacr6 i l'6valuation des activit~s qu'elle avait entreprises jusqu'ici. La pr~sente publication contient un compte rendu des travaux de ce sdminaire. Au cours de ses cinquante annmes d'existence, la Commission a ap- port6 une contribution inestimable i la codification et au d~veloppement progressif du droit international. Elle a non seulement 6labor6 des con- ventions internationales sur de grandes questions, allant des relations di- plomatiques au droit des trait~s, sans lesquelles la conduite des relations internationales, telles que nous les connaissons aujourd'hui, serait im- pensable. La Commission a aussi laiss6 sa marque sur l'6volution du droit international contemporain, favorisant sa vulgarisation et sa compr6hen- sion. Par ailleurs, elle a contribu6 pour beaucoup i d~velopper des as- pects du droit qui interviennent subtilement, mais n~anmoins incontesta- blement, dans une multitude de domaines trs divers de la vie intematio- nale. Je suis certain que cette tendance se poursuivra et m~me s'affirmera au cours du nouveau mill6naire. Je crois d'ailleurs que les d~clarations des participants au s6minaire, reproduites dans la prsente publication, faciliteront consid6rablement ce processus. Evaluer une oeuvre aussi riche