On March 29,1995, the following officials of the executive branch of the U.S. Government appeared before the Human Rights Committee at the United Nations to discuss U.S. implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (which had entered into force for the United States on September 8, 1992): John Shattuck, Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, and Conrad K. Harper, the Department’s Legal Adviser; Assistant Attorneys General Deval L. Patrick, Civil Rights Division, and Jo Ann Harris, Criminal Division; and Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Indian Affairs Ada Deer. The same officials, together with other members of the U.S. delegation, appeared again on March 31, 1995, to reply to questions raised by the Committee.

The term “judicial assistance,” as used in international law, involves some still unanswered questions. Should it be used to embrace all the elements germane to the expedition of the business of courts of law, including not only procedural matters, but the execution of judgments and extradition; or relate exclusively to judicial assistance in civil proceedings? To avoid creating confusion by the use of a term suggestive of several meanings, in the following examination of the Soviet practice in this regard, the expression “cooperation in legal matters” is resorted to as an all-inclusive term.

Abbreviations: Ann. sc. pol., Annates des sciences politiques, Paris; Ann. Vie Int., Annuaire de la Vie Internationale, Brussels; Arch, dipl., Archives Diplomatiques, Paris; B., boletin, bulletin, bolletino; P. A. U., bulletin of the Pan American Union, Washington; Clunet, J. de Dr. Int. Prive, Paris; Doc. dipl., France, Documents diplomatiques; B. Rel. Ext., Boletin de Relaciones Exteriores; Dr., droit, diritto, derecho; D. 0., Diario Oficial; For. rel., Foreign Relations of the United States; Ga., gazette, gaceta, gazzetta; Cd., Great Britain, Parliamentary Papers; Int., international, internacional, internazionale; J., journal; J. O.,

Journal Officiel, Paris; Vint. Sc, L’Internationalism Scientifique, The Hague; Mim. dipl., Memorial diplomatique, Paris; Monit., Moniteur beige, Brussels; N. R. G., Nouveau recueil generate de traites, Leipzig; Q. dipl., Questions diplomatiques et coloniales; R., review, revista, revue, rivista; Reichs G., Reichs-Gesetzblatt, Berlin; Stoats., Staatsblad, Groningen; State Papers, British and Foreign State Papers, London; Stat, at L., United States Statutes at Large; Titnes, the Times (London); Treaty ser., Great Britain, Treaty series.

The International Law Commission of the United Nations held its forty-fifth session from May 2 to July 23, 1993, under the chairmanship of Ambassador Julio Barboza of Argentina. The Commission elaborated a substantially complete draft statute of an international criminal court in a working group, considered aspects of state responsibility, commenced drafting articles on liability for injurious consequences arising out of acts not prohibited by international law, began its second reading on non-navigational uses of international watercourses, and made recommendations for its future work. The Commission continued its innovative use of working groups and subgroups to expedite its work and, consequently, had a highly productive session.