Report of the International Law Commission on the Work of Its fiftieth Session 20 April-12 June 1998 27 July-14 August 1998
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A/53/10 United Nations Report of the International Law Commission on the work of its fiftieth session 20 April-12 June 1998 27 July-14 August 1998 General Assembly Official Records · Fifty-third Session Supplement No.10 (A/53/10) A/53/10 Report of the International Law Commission on the work of its fiftieth session 20 April-12 June 1998 27 July-14 August 1998 General Assembly Official Records · Fifty-third Session Supplement No.10 (A/53/10) United Nations · New York, 1998 NOTE Symbols of United Nations documents are composed of capital letters combined with figures. Mention of such a symbol indicates a reference to a United Nations document. The word Yearbook followed by suspension points and the year (e.g. Yearbook ... 1971) indicates a reference to the Yearbook of the International Law Commission. A typeset version of the report of the Commission will be included in Part Two of volume II of the Yearbook of the International Law Commission 1998. ISSN 0082-822X CONTENTS Chapter Paragraphs Page I. INTRODUCTION ......................................... 1 - 10 1 A. Membership ....................................... 2 1 B. Officers and the Enlarged Bureau ................. 3 - 5 2 C. Drafting Committee ............................... 6 - 7 2 D. Working Groups ................................... 8 3 E. Secretariat ...................................... 9 3 F. Agenda ........................................... 10 4 II. SUMMARY OF THE WORK OF THE COMMISSION AT ITS FIFTIETH SESSION .............................................. 11 - 25 5 III. SPECIFIC ISSUES ON WHICH COMMENTS WOULD BE OF PARTICULAR INTEREST TO THE COMMISSION ................ 26 - 43 8 A. Diplomatic protection ............................ 27 - 28 8 B. Unilateral acts of States ........................ 29 - 30 8 C. International liability for injurious consequences arising out of acts not prohibited by international law (Prevention of transboundary damage from hazardous activities) ................ 31 - 34 8 D. State responsibility ............................. 35 - 38 9 E. Nationality in relation to the succession of States ........................................... 39 - 40 10 F. Reservations to treaties ......................... 41 - 42 10 G. Protection of the environment .................... 43 10 IV. INTERNATIONAL LIABILITY FOR INJURIOUS CONSEQUENCES ARISING OUT OF ACTS NOT PROHIBITED BY INTERNATIONAL LAW (PREVENTION OF TRANSBOUNDARY DAMAGE FROM HAZARDOUS ACTIVITIES) .......................................... 44 - 55 11 A. Introduction ..................................... 44 - 45 11 B. Consideration of the topic at the present session 46 - 54 11 C. Text of the draft articles on international liability for injurious consequences arising out of acts not prohibited by international law (Prevention of transboundary damage for hazardous activities) provisionally adopted by the Commission on first reading ...................... 55 18 -iii- CONTENTS (continued) Chapter Paragraphs Page 1. Text of the draft articles ................... 55 18 2. Text of the draft articles with commentaries thereto ...................................... 22 General commentary ........................... 22 Article 1. Activities to which the present draft articles apply ............. 24 Commentary ................................. 24 Article 2. Use of terms ..................... 29 Commentary ................................. 29 Article 3. Prevention ....................... 32 Commentary ................................. 33 Article 4. Cooperation ...................... 37 Commentary ................................. 37 Article 5. Implementation ................... 40 Commentary ................................. 40 Article 6. Relationship to other rules of international law ................ 41 Commentary ................................. 41 Article 7. Authorization .................... 41 Commentary ................................. 42 Article 8. Impact assessment ................ 43 Commentary ................................. 43 Article 9. Information to the public ........ 47 Commentary ................................. 47 Article 10. Notification and information .... 50 Commentary ................................. 50 -iv- CONTENTS (continued) Chapter Paragraphs Page Article 11. Consultations on preventive measures ........................ 53 Commentary ................................. 53 Article 12. Factors involved in an equitable balance of interests ............ 56 Commentary ................................. 57 Article 13. Procedures in the absence of notification .................... 60 Commentary ................................. 60 Article 14. Exchange of information ......... 62 Commentary ................................. 62 Article 15. National security and industrial secrets ......................... 63 Commentary ................................. 64 Article 16. Non-discrimination .............. 65 Commentary ................................. 65 Article 17. Settlement of disputes .......... 67 Commentary ................................. 67 V. DIPLOMATIC PROTECTION ................................ 56 - 110 70 A. Introduction ..................................... 56 - 58 70 B. Consideration of the topic at the present session 59 - 110 70 1. Introduction by the Special Rapporteur of his preliminary report ........................... 61 - 70 71 (a) The legal nature of diplomatic protection 62 - 68 71 (i) Origin of diplomatic protection .... 62 - 65 71 (ii) Recognition of the rights of the individual at the international level .............................. 66 - 67 73 (iii) The rights involved in diplomatic protection ......................... 68 73 -v- CONTENTS (continued) Chapter Paragraphs Page (b) The question of "primary" and "secondary" rules ................................... 69 - 70 74 2. Summary of the debate ........................ 71 - 106 74 (a) General comments ........................ 71 - 75 74 (b) The customary conception of diplomatic protection .............................. 76 - 82 75 (c) The relationship between human rights and diplomatic protection ................... 83 - 91 77 (d) Preconditions for the exercise of diplomatic protection ................... 92 - 97 80 (e) The question of "primary" and "secondary" rules ................................... 98 - 103 81 (f) The relationship between the topics of "Diplomatic protection" and "State responsibility" ......................... 104 - 105 82 (g) Scope of the topic ...................... 106 83 3. Establishment of a Working Group ............. 107 - 110 83 VI. UNILATERAL ACTS OF STATES ............................ 111 - 201 85 A. Introduction ..................................... 111 85 B. Consideration of the topic at the present session 112 - 201 85 1. Introduction by the Special Rapporteur of his first report ................................. 113 - 145 85 2. Summary of the debate ........................ 146 - 191 94 (a) General observations .................... 147 - 150 94 (b) Scope of the topic ...................... 151 - 164 95 (c) Definition and elements of unilateral acts .................................... 165 - 176 98 (d) Approach to the topic ................... 177 - 187 101 (e) Final form of the Commission’s work ..... 188 - 191 104 3. Establishment of a Working Group ............. 192 - 201 105 -vi- CONTENTS (continued) Chapter Paragraphs Page VII. STATE RESPONSIBILITY ................................. 202 - 451 108 A. Introduction ..................................... 202 - 214 108 B. Consideration of the topic at the present session 215 - 451 111 1. Introduction by the Special Rapporteur concerning some general issues relating to the draft articles ............................... 219 - 224 112 (a) Distinction between "primary" and "secondary" rules of State responsibility 220 112 (b) Scope of the draft articles ............. 221 112 (c) Inclusion of detailed provisions on countermeasures and dispute settlement .. 222 113 (d) Relationship between the draft articles and other rules of international law .... 223 113 (e) Eventual form of the draft articles ..... 224 113 2. Summary of the debate on general issues ...... 225 - 235 114 (a) Distinction between "primary" and "secondary" rules of State responsibility 226 114 (b) Scope of the draft articles ............. 227 - 228 114 (c) Inclusion of detailed provisions on countermeasures and dispute settlement .. 229 115 (d) Relationship between the draft articles and other rules of international law .... 230 115 (e) Eventual form of the draft articles ..... 231 - 235 115 3. Concluding remarks of the Special Rapporteur on the debate on general issues .............. 236 - 240 117 4. Introduction by the Special Rapporteur concerning the distinction between "criminal" and "delictual" responsibility ............... 241 - 259 118 (a) Treatment of State crimes in the draft articles ................................ 241 - 245 118 (b) Comments of Governments on State crimes . 246 119 -vii- CONTENTS (continued) Chapter Paragraphs Page (c) Existing international law on the criminal responsibility of States ....... 247 - 250 119 (d) Relationships between the international criminal responsibility of States and certain cognate concepts ................ 251 121 (e) Possible approaches to international crimes of States ........................ 252 - 259 121 5. Summary of the debate on the distinction between "criminal" and "delictual" responsibility ............................... 260 - 321 123 (a) Comments of Governments on State crimes . 261 123 (b)