Treaties — Interpretation of — Multilingual treaties — Languages equally authentic — Recourse to foreign language text as interpretative aid — Whether permissible for English court to resort to French language text — Convention on the International Carriage of Goods by Road, 1956 — The law of England

Treaties — Interpretation of — Principles and rules of interpretation — Treaty incorporated into domestic law by statute — Departure from traditional rules of statutory interpretation in domestic law — Divergent interpretations in other State parties — Dangers of judicial legislation — Lack of uniform interpretation — Whether recourse to foreign language text permissible as interpretative aid — Guiding principle — Fulfilment of purpose and intention of Convention — Convention on the International Carriage of Goods by Road, 1956 — The Carriage of Goods by Road Act 1965 — The law of England

lntemational law in general — Relation to municipal law — Municipal principles of statutory interpretation — Whether applicable to statute incorporating intemational convention into municipal law — Admissibility of travaux préparatoires as interpretative aid — Confirmation of practice by Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties — Whether principles of interpretation laid down therein are binding on English courts — Warsaw Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules Relating to International Carriage by Air, 1929, as amended by the Hague Protocol, 1955 — Carriage by Air Act 1961 — Whether permissible to have recourse to minutes of drafting committees of Hague Protocol in interpreting word “damage” contained therei — The law of England

Treaties — Interpretation of — Principles and rules of interpretation — Municipal law giving effect to treaty — Warsaw Convention for the Unification of Certain Rules Relating to International Carriage by Air, 1929, as amended by the Hague Protocol, 1955 — Carriage by Air Act 1961 — Article 26(2) of the Convention — Requirement that carrier be notified within seven days of “damage” to baggage — Whether time limit applicable in the event of partial loss of contents of baggage — Meaning of “damage” — Municipal principles of statutory interpretation — Purposive interpretation — Aim of uniformity in application of international agreement representing a consensus of States with diverse legal systems — Achievement of commercial purpose and harmonization of municipal laws of State parties — Bilingual text — French language version to prevail over English — Correct mode of interpreting foreign language text — Use of dictionaries, interpreters and legal experts — Admissibility of commentaries and foreign case law as interpretative aids — Whether practice of other national and international courts in relation to reliance on travaux préparatoires should be followed — Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, 1969 — Conditions under which discretion to use travaux préparatoires should be exercised — The law of England

Treaties — Conclusion and operation — Constitutional limitations — French Constitution, Article 53 — Intemational Monetary Fund — Fund Articles of Agreement — Resolution for increase in quotas of Member States under Article 111(2) — Whether linked to resolution for reform of Articles of Agreement — Approval of reform by majority vote satisfying conditions of Article XVII — Whether binding on Member State in the absence of ratification by its parliament — Whether an infringement of national sovereignt — The law of France

International organization and administration — Specialized agencies of the United Nations — International Monetary Fund — Articles of Agreement — Resolution for increase in quotas of Member States under Article III(2) — Whether linked to resolution on reform of Articles of Agreement — Reform approved by majority vote satisfying conditions of Article XVII — Whether binding on Member State in absence of ratification by its parliament — Whether an infringement of national sovereignty — French Constitution, Article 53 — The law of France

Jurisdiction — In general — Territorial — Exemptions from and restrictions upon — International organization — ASECNA — Contract of employment — Termination of — Claim for damages — Claim for damages — Arbitral award rejecting claim — Whether appeal lies to municipal courts — Assertion of immunity by ASECNA — The law of France

Disputes — Arbitration — Procedure — Appeals — Employee of international organization — Contract of employment — Termination of — Claim for damages — Arbitral award rejecting claim — Whether appeal lies to municipal courts — Effect of arbitration clause — Applicable procedural law — The law of France

International organization and administration — International officials — ASECNA (Air Navigation Safety Organization for Africa and Madagascar) — Dismissal of employee — Claim for damages against organization — Arbitral award rejecting claim — Whether appeal lies to municipal courts — Assertion of immunity by organization — Applicable procedural law — The law of France

War and neutrality — War in general — Definition and technical meaning of war — Guerilla fighters and other irregular resistance movements — Geneva Conventions on the Rules of War, 1949 — Additional Protocol I to the Geneva Conventions, 1977 — Whether Red Army Faction waging class war against Federal Republic of Germany so as to give members protection under Geneva Conventions — Whether alleged offences constituting criminal offences for purposes of the law of war — The law of the Netherlands

States as international persons — In general — Sovereignty and independence — Conduct of foreign relations — Conclusiveness of statements of the Executive — Interpretation of international conventions involving questions of international public policy — Whether a matter for the Executive or the courts — The law of France

The individual in international law — In general — Human rights and freedoms — European Convention on Human Rights, 1950 — Effect under municipal law — Punishment of crimes against humanity — Whether persons prosecuted for such crimes entitled to benefit from principles of non-retroactivity of criminal laws and statutorylimitation of prosecution — Articles 7(2) and 60 of Convention — The law of France

Treaties — Conclusion and operation — Operation and enforcement — Necessity for municipal legislation — European Convention on Human Rights, 1950 — Effect under municipal law following ratification and publication — The law of France

War and neutrality — War in general — Enforcement of the laws of war — Punishment of war crimes and crimes against humanity — Whether principle of the non-retroactivity of criminal laws applies to such crimes — Whether statutory limitation applies to such crimes — Charter of the International Military Tribunal of Nuremberg, 1945, Article 6 — European Convention on Human Rights, 1950, Articles 7(2) and 60 — Interpretation of international conventions involving questions of international public policy — Whether a matter for the courts or the executive — Effect of European Convention under municipal law — The law of France

Jurisdiction — In general — Personal — Over nationals in respect of crimes committed abroad — War crimes — Dutch Decree establishing Extraordinary Penal Provisions 1943–71 — Dutch Penal Code — Whether nationality of accused at time of commission of offences decisive — The law of the Netherlands

War and neutrality — War in general — Enforcement of the laws of war — Punishment of war crimes and crimes against humanity — London Charter of International Military Tribunal, 1945, Article 6(b) and (c) — Dutch Decree establishing Extraordinary Penal Provisions, 1943–71 — Personal jurisdiction over nationals for crimes committed abroad — Dutch national enlisting in Waffen-SS — Whether nationality at time of commission of offences decisive — The law of the Netherlands

The individual in international law — In general — Human rights and freedoms — European Convention on Human Rights, 1950 — Implementation of lifelong imprisonment for war criminal — Whether constituting breach of Convention — Relevance of likely effect of release on victims of war crimes — Relevance of advanced age and fragile health — Article 3(2) of Convention — The law of the Netherlands

War and neutrality — War in general — Enforcement of the laws of war — Punishment of war crimes and crimes against humanity — Implementation of lifelong imprisonment for war criminal — Whether constitutes breach of European Convention on Human Rights, 1950 — Relevance of likely effect of release on victims of war crimes — Relevance of advanced age and fragile health — Article 3(2) of Convention — The law of the Netherlands