The Vienna Conventions on the Law of Treaties A Commentary

The 1969 and 1986 Vienna Conventions on the Law of Treaties are essential components of the contemporary international legal order. They aim at regulating what has become the main source of public international law and a crucial tool in inter-state relations. The Vienna Conventions codify to a significant extent the customary rules that pre-existed in the field, but also put forward innovative concepts, such as jus cogens . In spite of their importance, these two instruments had so far not been the object of a detailed commentary. These volumes fill that gap, by providing both international and national lawyers with an in-depth analysis of each provision of both Conventions. The structure of each commentary is essentially uniform, with the first part dedicated to the exposition of that provision's object and purpose and to the assessment of its customary status. The second part of each commentary deals with the main issues of interpretation raised by the provision in question. Extensive reference is made to the travaux preparatoires of both Conventions, including the work of the UN International Law Commission and the proceedings of the 1969 and 1986 diplomatic conferences, and to practice both prior to and following the adoption of the Conventions. The 90 + authors who contributed to the book come from twenty different countries and include some of the most respected experts in international law.

Olivier Corten teaches public international law at the Universite libre de Bruxelles (Belgium), and director of the Revue belge de droit international/Belgian Review of International Law. He is the author or co-author of four books (Droit d'ingerence ou obligation de reaction ? - Les possibilites d'action visant a assurer le respect des droits de la personne face au principe de non-intervention (Bruylant, Brussels, 1992, et 2nd ed., 1996), L'utilisation du raisonnable par le juge international (Bruylant, Brussels, 1997), Ex-Yougoslavie : droit international, politique et ideologie (Bruylant, Brussels, 1998) and Le droit contre la guerre - L'interdiction du recours a la force en droit international contemporain, Pedone, Paris, 2008) and of more than sixty articles.

Pierre Klein teaches public international law and is Director of the Center of International Law of the Universite libre de Bruxelles (Belgium). He taught as visiting lecturer, then professor, at the Universite catholique de Louvain, the University of Ottawa, McGill University, the Abomey-Calavi University (Benin), the University of Paris XI and the Hague Academy of International Law. He is the author or co-author of three books (Droit d'ingerence ou obligation de reaction ? - Les possibilites d'action visant a assurer le respect des droits de la personne face au principe de non-intervention (Bruylant, Brussels, 1992, et 2nd ed., 1996), La responsabilite des organizations internationales dans les ordres juridiques internes et en droit international (Bruylant, Brussels, 1998) and Bowett's Law of International Institutions (5th ed., Sweet and Maxwell, London, 2001 - 5th ed. forthcoming, 2009)) and of fifty articles.

Preamble
Preamble (1969), Huseyin Pazarci
Preamble (1986), Eric David
I. Introduction
Article 1 (1969), Philippe Gautier
Article 1 (1986), Philippe Gautier
Article 2 (1969), Philippe Gautier
Article 2 (1986), Philippe Gautier
Article 3 (1969), Yves le Bouthillier & Jean-Francois Bonin
Article 3 (1986), Yves le Bouthillier & Jean-Francois Bonin
Article 4 (1969), Frederic Dopagne
Article 4 (1986), Frederic Dopagne
Article 5 (1969), David Anderson
Article 5 (1986), David Anderson
II. Conclusion and Entry into Force of Treaties
Article 6 (1969), Daniel Turp & Francois Roch
Article 6 (1986), Nicolas Levrat
Article 7 (1969), Peter Kovacs
Article 7 (1986), Peter Kovacs
Article 8 (1969), Nicolas Angelet & Tamara Leidgens
Article 8 (1986), Nicolas Angelet & Tamara Leidgens
Article 9 (1969), Maurice Kamto
Article 9 (1986), Maurice Kamto
Article 10 (1969), Jean-Marc Thouvenin
Article 10 (1986), Jean-Marc Thouvenin
Article 11 (1969), Sandra Szurek
Article 11 (1986), Sandra Szurek
Article 12 (1969), Cedric van Assche
Article 12 (1986), Cedric van Assche
Article 13 (1969), Cedric van Assche
Article 13 (1986), Cedric van Assche
Article 14 (1969), Rafia Ben Achour, Imed Frikha & Mounir Snoussi
Article 14 (1986), Rafia Ben Achour, Imed Frikha & Mounir Snoussi
Article 15 (1969), Jean-Francois Marchi
Article 15 (1986), Jean-Francois Marchi
Article 16 (1969), Ferhat Horchani
Article 16 (1986), Ferhat Horchani
Article 17 (1969), Carol Hilling
Article 17 (1986), Carol Hilling
Article 18 (1969), Laurence Boisson de Chazournes, Anne-Marie La Rosa & Makane Moise Mbengue
Article 18 (1986), Laurence Boisson de Chazournes, Anne-Marie La Rosa & Makane Moise Mbengue
Article 19 (1969), Alain Pellet
Article 19 (1986), Alain Pellet
Article 20 (1969), Daniel Muller
Article 20 (1986), Daniel Muller
Article 21 (1969), Daniel Muller
Article 21 (1986), Daniel Muller
Article 22 (1969), Alain Pellet
Article 22 (1986), Alain Pellet
Article 23 (1969), Alain Pellet & William Schabas
Article 23 (1986), Alain Pellet & William Schabas
Article 24 (1969), Anthony Aust
Article 24 (1986), Anthony Aust
Article 25 (1969), Denise Mathy
Article 25 (1986), Denise Mathy
III. Observance, Application and Interpretation of Treaties
Article 26 (1969), Jean Salmon
Article 26 (1986), Jean Salmon
Article 27 (1969), Annemie Schaus
Article 27 (1986), Maxime Didat
Article 28 (1969), Frederic Dopagne
Article 28 (1986), Frederic Dopagne
Article 29 (1969), Symeon Karagianis
Article 29 (1986), Symeon Karagianis
Article 30 (1969), Alexander Orakhelashvili
Article 30 (1986), Alexander Orakhelashvili
Article 31 (1969), Jean-Marc Sorel & Valerie Bore-Eveno
Article 31 (1986), Jean-Marc Sorel & Valerie Bore-Eveno
Article 32 (1969), Yves le Bouthillier
Article 32 (1986), Yves le Bouthillier
Article 33 (1969), Alain Papaux
Article 33 (1986), Alain Papaux
Article 34 (1969), Eric David
Article 34 (1986), Emmanuel Klimis
Article 35 (1969), Caroline Laly-Chevalier
Article 35 (1986), Caroline Laly-Chevalier
Article 36 (1969), Pierre d'Argent
Article 36 (1986), Pierre d'Argent
Article 37 (1969), Pierre d'Argent
Article 37 (1986), Pierre d'Argent
Article 38 (1969), Giorgio Gaja
Article 38 (1986), Giorgio Gaja
IV. Amendment and Modification of Treaties
Article 39 (1969), Philippe Sands
Article 39 (1986), Philippe Sands
Article 40 (1969), Karine Ardault & Daniel Dormoy
Article 40 (1986), Karine Ardault & Daniel Dormoy
Article 41 (1969), Anne Rigaux & Denys Simon
Article 41 (1986), Joanna Spanoudis & Edith Weemaels
V. Invalidity, Termination and Suspension of the Operation of Treaties
Article 42 (1969), Marcelo Kohen and Sarah Heathcote
Article 42 (1986), Marcelo Kohen and Sarah Heathcote
Article 43 (1969), Karine Bannelier-Christakis
Article 43 (1986), Karine Bannelier-Christakis
Article 44 (1969), Mohammed Bedjaoui & Tamara Leidgens
Article 44 (1986), Mohammed Bedjaoui & Tamara Leidgens
Article 45 (1969), Marcelo Kohen and Sarah Heathcote
Article 45 (1986), Marcelo Kohen and Sarah Heathcote
Article 46 (1969), Michael Bothe
Article 46 (1986), Michael Bothe
Article 47 (1969), Florian Hoffmann
Article 47 (1986), Florian Hoffmann
Article 48 (1969), Eric Wyler
Article 48 (1986), Eric Wyler
Article 49 (1969), Gerard Niyungeko
Article 49 (1986), Gerard Niyungeko
Article 50 (1969), Jean-Pierre Cot
Article 50 (1986), Jean-Pierre Cot
Article 51 (1969), Giovani Distefano
Article 51 (1986), Giovani Distefano
Article 52 (1969), Olivier Corten
Article 52 (1986), Olivier Corten
Article 53 (1969), Eric Suy
Article 53 (1986), Anne Lagerwall
Article 54 (1969), Vincent Chapaux
Article 54 (1986), Vincent Chapaux
Article 55 (1969), Vincent Chapaux
Article 55 (1986), Vincent Chapaux
Article 56 (1969), Theodore Christakis
Article 56 (1986), Theodore Christakis
Article 57 (1969), Rosario Huesa-Vinaixa
Article 57 (1986), Rosario Huesa-Vinaixa
Article 58 (1969), Marie-Pierre Lanfranchi
Article 58 (1986), Marie-Pierre Lanfranchi
Article 59 (1969), Francois Dubuisson
Article 59 (1986), Francois Dubuisson
Article 60 (1969), Bruno Simma & Christian J Tams
Article 60 (1986), Bruno Simma & Christian J Tams
Article 61 (1969), Pierre Bodeau-Livinec
Article 61 (1986), Pierre Bodeau-Livinec
Article 62 (1969), Malcolm N Shaw & Caroline Fournet
Article 62 (1986), Malcolm N Shaw & Caroline Fournet
Article 63 (1969), Nicolas Angelet
Article 63 (1986), Corinne Clave
Article 64 (1969), Anne Lagerwall
Article 64 (1986), Anne Lagerwell
Article 65 (1969), Mario Prost
Article 65 (1986), Mario Prost
Article 66 (1969), Helene Ruiz Fabri
Article 66 (1986), Helene Ruiz Fabri
Article 67 (1969), Antonios Tzanakopoulos
Article 67 (1986), Didier Rouget
Article 68 (1969), Antonios Tzanakopoulos
Article 68 (1986), Didier Rouget
Article 69 (1969), Joe Verhoeven
Article 69 (1986), Joe Verhoeven
Article 70 (1969), Herve Ascensio
Article 70 (1986), Herve Ascensio
Article 71 (1969), Francois Crepeau & Rene Cote
Article 71 (1986), Francois Crepeau & Rene Cote
Article 72 (1969), Philippe Couvreur & Carlos Espaliu Berdud
Article 72 (1986), Philippe Couvreur & Carlos Espaliu Berdud
VI. Miscellaneous Provisions
Article 73 (1969), Rene Provost
Article 73 (1986), Christian Dominice & Robert Kolb
Article 74 (1969), Nicolas Angelet & Corine Clavé
Article 74 (1986), David Anderson
Article 75 (1969), Christian Tomuschat
Article 75 (1986), Nicolas Angelet & Corine Clavé
Article 76 (1986), Christian Tomuschat
VII. Depositaries, Notifications, Corrections and Registration
Article 76 (1969), Lucius Calfisch
Article 77 (1969), Fatsah Ouguergouz, Santiago Villalpando & Jason Morgan-Foster
Article 77 (1986), Lucius Calfisch
Article 78 (1969), Riad Daoudi
Article 78 (1986), Fatsah Ouguergouz, Santiago Villalpando & Jason Morgan-Foster
Article 79 (1969), Robert Kolb
Article 79 (1986), Riad Daoudi
Article 80 (1969), Pierre Klein
Article 80 (1986), Robert Kolb
Article 81 (1986), Pierre Klein
Final Provisions
Article 81 (1969), Nicolas Burniat
Article 82 (1969), Nicolas Burniat
Article 82 (1986), Nicolas Burniat
Article 83 (1969), Nicolas Burniat
Article 83 (1986), Nicolas Burniat
Article 84 (1969), Catherine Denis
Article 84 (1986), Nicolas Burniat
Article 85 (1969), Catherine Denis
Article 85 (1986), Catherine Denis
Article 86 (1986), Catherine Denis
Annex (1969), Mariano Aznar Gomez
Annex (1986), Mariano Aznar Gomez
Declaration on the Prohibition of Military, Political or Economic Coercion in the Conclusion of Treaties, Frédéric Mégret