Document:- A/CN.4/315 "Force majeure" and "Fortuitous event" as circumstances precluding wrongfulness: Survey of State practice, international judicial decisions and doctrine - study prepared by the Secretariat Topic: State responsibility Extract from the Yearbook of the International Law Commission:- 1978, vol. II(1) Downloaded from the web site of the International Law Commission (http://www.un.org/law/ilc/index.htm) Copyright © United Nations DOCUMENT A/CN.4/315 "Force majeure" and "fortuitous event" as circumstances precluding wrongfulness: survey of State practice, international judicial decisions and doctrine Study prepared by the Secretariat [Original: English] [27 June 1977] CONTENTS Page Abbreviations 65 Explanatory note: italics in quotations 65 Paragraphs FOREWORD 1-3 66 INTRODUCTION 4-37 66 (a) "Force majeure" in international law 4-9 66 (b) Terminological questions 10-12 68 (c) The concept of "force majeure" 13-16 69 (d) The differentiation between "force majeure" (stricto sensu) and "fortuitous event" 17-19 70 (e) The distinction between the concept of "force majeure" and the concept of "state of emergency" (etat de necessite) 20-30 71 (/) The general character of the "exception of force majeure" 31-37 74 CHAPTER I. STATE PRACTICE 38-259 77 Section 1: State practice as reflected in treaties and other international instruments and proceedings relating thereto 39-117 77 (a) International peace and security 45-50 78 Definition of Aggression adopted by the General Assembly in 1974 . 45-50 78 (b) International economic law 51-58 80 General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (1947) 51-52 80 Convention on Transit Trade of Land-locked States (1965) 53 80 Commodity agreements 54-56 80 Agreements establishing economic communities or free trade associations . 57-58 81 (c) Treatment of aliens 59-75 81 Report of the Special Commission of Jurists of the League of Nations (1924) 59 81 Conference for the Codification of International Law (The Hague, 1930) . 60-75 82 (d) Law of treaties 76-80 87 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (1969) 77-70 87 (e) Diplomatic and consular law 81-82 89 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations (1961) 81 89 Other codification conventions 82 89 (/) Law of the sea 83-85 89 Convention on the Territorial Sea and the Contiguous Zone (1958) ... 83 89 Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea (1973) .... 84-85 90 (g) Communications and transit 86-90 90 Statute on Freedom of Transit and Statute concerning the Rdgime of Navigable Waterways of International Concern (1921). 86-87 90 Other conventions 88-90 91 (h) Protection of the environment 91-92 91 International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea by Oil (1954) 91 91 61 62 Yearbook of the International Law Commission, 1978, vol. II, Part One Paragraphs Page Convention on the Prevention of Marine Pollution by Dumping of Wastes and Other Matter (1972) 92 91 (0 Human rights 93-94 91 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and Inter- national Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966). 93-94 91 (/) The law relating to armed conflicts 95-103 92 Convention respecting the Laws and Customs of War on Land (1907) . 95-98 92 Convention relative to the status of enemy merchant ships at the outbreak of hostilities (1907) 99-100 93 Convention concerning the Rights and Duties of Neutral Powers in Naval War (1907) 101-103 93 (k) Peaceful settlement of disputes 104-105 94 Convention for the Pacific Settlement of International Disputes (1907) . 104-105 94 (/) Conventional liability regimes for injurious consequences arising out of acts relating to certain activities 106-117 95 Maritime navigation 108-110 95 Aerial navigation 111-112 96 Pollution 113-114 96 Nuclear energy 115 97 Outer space 116-117 • 97 Section 2: State practice as reflected in diplomatic correspondence and other official papers dealing with specific cases 118-259 98 (a) Land frontier incidents 121-128 99 Crossing of the Austrian border by Italian officials (1862) 121 99 Crossing of the Mexican border by a United States detachment (1886) . 122 99 Incident on the frontier between Bulgaria and Greece (1925) 123-126 99 Crossing of the Basutoland border by South African police (1961) . ... 127 100 Shelling of Liechtenstein territory by a Swiss army military unit (1968) . 128 100 (b) Maritime incidents 129-139 100 The Dogger Bank incident between Great Britain and Russia (1904) ... 129 100 The Chattanooga incident between France and the United States of America (1906) 130-131 101 The Naiwa incident between the United Kingdom and the United States of America (1920) 132 101 The Daigo Fukuryu Maru incident between Japan and the United States of America (1954) 133 101 The Milwood incident between Iceland and the United Kingdom (1963) . 134-135 101 The Thor incident between Iceland and the United Kingdom (1975) . 136-139 102 (c) Aerial incidents 140-153 102 Incidents between France and Germany (1913) 141-142 102 Incidents between the United States of America and Yugoslavia (1946) . 143-146 103 Incident between Bulgaria and Turkey (1948) 147 103 Incident between Czechoslovakia and the United States of America (1951) . 148-149 104 Incident between Albania and the United Kingdom (1957) 150 104 Incident between the United Kingdom and the United Arab Republic (1965) 151 104 Incident between India and Pakistan (1967) 152 104 Incident between Israel and Saudi Arabia (1976) 153 104 (</) Pollution 154 105 Contamination of the Rio Grande (1962) 154 105 (e) Protection of offshore fisheries 155 105 Fur seal fisheries off the Russian coast (1893) 155 105 (/) Reimbursement of debts 156-157 105 Payment of contributions to the League of Nations (1927) 156 105 Statement by the representative of Austria in the Assembly of the League of Nations concerning the non-execution of arbitral awards (1930) . 157 105 (g) International terrorism and hijacking 158-161 106 Attack on the Romanian Legation at Berne, Switzerland (1955) 158-159 106 Hijacking of a Swiss aeroplane (1970) 160-161 106 (h) Civil wars, revolutions, insurrections, riots, mob violence, etc 162-246 106 Belgian revolution (1830) 162-163 106 Insurrection in the Para district of Brazil (1835) 164-167 107 Occupation of Puerto Cabello by Venezuelan revolutionists (1836) . ... 168 108 Mob violence in Athens, Greece (1847) 169 108 Insurrection in Sicily (1848) 170-171 108 Insurrection in Tuscany (1849) 172 109 Riot at New Orleans, United States of America (1851) 173 109 Mutiny in Chile (1852) 174 109 Acts of insurgents in Venezuela (1858) 175-177 109 State responsibility 63 Paragraphs Page Events in Central America (1860) 178 110 Insurrection in Santo Domingo (1861-1863) 179-180 110 Civil war in the United States of America (1861-1865) 181-184 110 The Paris Commune in France (1871) 185 111 Uprising in Argentina (1871) 186 111 Carlist insurrection in Spain (1874) 187 112 Mob violence at Acapulco, Mexico (1875) 188 112 Mob violence at Denver, United States of America (1880) 189 112 The Saida incident, Algeria (1881) 190-194 112 Insurrection at Sfax, Tunisia (1881) 195-197 113 The Alexandria incident, Egypt (1882) 198-199 114 Riots in Haiti (1883) 200 114 Revolution in Brazil (1885) 201 115 The Rock Springs riot, United States of America (1885) 202-203 115 Insurrection in Cuba (1887) 204 115 Riot in Turkey (1890) 205 116 Mob violence at New Orleans, United States of America (1891) 206-208 116 Mob violence at Marsovan, Turkey (1893) 209 117 Civil war in Brazil (1893-1894) 210-213 117 Riot at New Orleans, United States of America (1895) 214 118 Mob violence at Walsenburg, United States of America (1895) 215-217 118 Riot at Harpoot, Marash, etc., Turkey (1895) 218-224 118 Cuban insurrection (1895-1898) 225-226 120 Insurrection in Formosa (1897) 227 120 Mob violence at Kouang-Si, China (1897) 228 120 Insurrection in Sierra Leone (1899) 229 121 Disturbances in Russia (1906) 230 121 Disturbances at Casablanca, Morocco (1906) 231-232 121 Mob violence at South Omaha, United States of America (1909) .... 233 121 Disturbances at Barcelona, Spain (1909) 234 121 Acts of revolutionists in Mexico (1911) 235 122 Internal troubles in Equatorial Africa (1912) 236 122 Mob violence at Setubal, Portugal (1917) 237 122 Civil disturbances in Peru (1920s and 1930s) 238-242 122 Acts of revolutionists at Oviedo, Spain (1934) 243 123 Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) 244-245 123 Disturbances at Algiers, Algeria (1964) 246 124 (0 International armed conflicts or hostilities 247-259 124 Bombardment of Grey Town (1854) 247 124 Chilean-Peruvian War (1879-1884) 248-259 124 First World War (1914-1918) 250-256 124 Second World War (1939-1945) 257-259 125 CHAPTER II. INTERNATIONAL JUDICIAL DECISIONS 260-486 126 Section 1: Judicial settlement 261-322 126 Case concerning the payment of various Serbian loans issued in France (France v. Kingdom of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes) (1929) 263-268 126 Case concerning the payment in gold of the Brazilian federal loans contracted in France (France v. Brazil) (1929) 269-273 128 The Societe commerciale de Belgique case (Belgium v. Greece) (1939). 274-290 129 The case of the Electricity Company of Sofia and Bulgaria (Belgium v. Bul- garia) (1940) 291-297 141 The Corfu Channel case (Merits) (United Kingdom v. Albania) (1949) . 298-309 142 Case concerning rights of nationals of the United States of America in Morocco, (France v. United States of America) (1952) 310-313 145 Case concerning the arbitral award made by the King of Spain on 23 December 1906 (Honduras v. Nicaragua) (1960) 314-322 146 Section 2: Arbitration 323^86 148 The Jamaica case (Great Britain/United States of America) (1798) 327 149 The Enterprise case (United Kingdom/United States of America) (1853) .