Document Type : Article

Authors

1 Prof., Department of Public Law, Faculty of Law and Political Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

2 Ph.D. Student in International Law, Faculty of Law and Political Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

International treaty law recognizes the right of the injured party to terminate a treaty or suspend it as a result of a breach. This right is based on one of the general principles of law, according to which neither party can demand the implementation of a contract that the other party has violated. However, with regard to the scope of implementation of this principle, the fundamental question is how the treaty should have been violated? Article 60 (3) of the 1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties makes this right applicable only in cases of “material breach” of the treaty. The present paper, based on a descriptive-analytical method and emphasizing the decisions of the International Court of Justice, examines the various dimensions of the concept of material breach of the treaty. It argues that the concept of material breach is complex and interpretable and, due to its different interpretations, allows for differences in its implementation between members of the treaty.

Keywords

  1. English

    1. A) Books
    2. Aust, Anthony )2010(, Handbook of International Law, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
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    1. B) Articles
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    3. Bigi, Giulia (2009), “Draft Non-Compliance Procedure under the 2001 Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants”, in: Tullio Treves et.al (Eds), Non- Compliance Procedures and Mechanisms and the Effectiveness of International Environmental Agreements, The Hague, The Netherlands: T.M.C. Asser Press, pp.121-135.
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    1. C) International Documents
    2. Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC).
    3. Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation of 1944.
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    9. Second Report on the Law of Treaties, by G. Fitzmaurice, Special Rapporteur, YBILC, Vol. II, UN Doc. A/CN.4/107, 1957.
    10. Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation (FCN) of 1956 between the United State and Nicaragua.
    11. Treaty on the Construction and Operation of the Gabcikovo-Nagymaros Barrage System signed in Budapest on 16 September 1977.
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    17. UN Doc S/RES/2428 (2018).
    18. UN Doc S/RES/2451 (2018).
    19. U.N. General Assembly Resolution 2145 (XXI) )1966).

     

    1. D) International decisions
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    3. Corfu Channel Case (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland v. Albania), I.C.J Reports, Merits, 1949.
    4. Appeal Relating to the Jurisdiction of the ICAO Council, (India v. Pakistan), ICJ Reports, Judgment of 18 August 1972.
    5. Gabčíkovo-Nagymaros Project (HUNGARY v SLOVAKIA), I.C.J Reports, Judgment of 25 September 1997.
    6. Military and Paramilitary Activities in and against Nicaragua (Nicaragua v. United States of America), I.C.J Reports, Judgment of 27 June1986.
    7. United States Diplomatic and Consular Staff in Tehran (United States of America v. Iran), I.C.J Reports, Judgment of 24 May 1980.
    8. Corfu Channel (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland v. Albania), I.C.J Reports, Judgment of 25 March 1948.
    9. South West Africa Cases, (Ethiopia v. South Africa; Liberia v. South Africa), I.C.J Reports, Judgment of 1962.

     

    1. E) Websites
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    3. Oxford Learner Dictionary, https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com

     

    References in Persian:

    1. A) Books
    2. Phalsaphy, Hedayatullah (2004), International Law of Treaties, Tehran: Farhang Nashre No, Second Edition (In Persian).

     

    1. B) Articles
    2. Habibi, Homayoun & Amiri, Mustafa (2020), “The Mechanistic Nature of Barjam Dispute Resolution”, Journal of Public Law Studies, Vol. 50, No. 3, pp. 1215-1238 (In Persian).
    3. Saed, Nader (2002), “Relationship between Security Council Resolutions 678, 687 and 1441 in terms of the use of force in the event of non-cooperation of Iraq in disarmament”, Legal Information, No. 2, pp. 34-38 (In Persian).
    4. Fazaeli, Mustafa (2006), “Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women and General Conditions on it”, Legal Journal of Office of International Legal Services, No. 34, pp. 57-110 (In Persian).
    5. Mohammadi, Aqeel (2019), “Comparison of non-compliance procedure with dispute settlement mechanisms and international responsibility of the government in environmental treaties”, Journal of Legal Studies, Journal of Legal Studies, Vol. 11, No. 3, pp. 171-205 (In Persian).
    6. Naseri Larijani, Naghmeh (2010), “Interaction between treaty law and the law of international responsibility of the government in justifying non-fulfillment of international obligations”, International Law Journal, No. 42, pp. 233-256 (In Persian).