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Legal and Non-Legal Norms – a meaningful distinction in international relations? *
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 July 2009
Extract
In his final speech at the Helsinki Conference (CSCE) in 1975, Prime Minister Wilson called the Final Act of the Conference a “moral commitment”, not an international treaty. Thus, the Act is not binding as a matter of international law, though it is quite clear from the historical context, and from the wording of the Final Act itself, that the participating states have some sort of obligation (“commitment”) to base their future conduct on the provisions of the Final Act. The Act formulates norms, rules intended to determine state behaviour, but these rules are not of a legal character. This is, apparently, the assumption underlying the Wilson statement, to which many similar statements could be added. As will be shown, a considerable body of state practice based on the same concept has developed, and points to the existence of non-legal (pre-legal, para-legal, moral, political) obligations as distinguished from legal ones. Is it a valid distinction, can a distinction really be made between legal and non-legal norms? If so, what constitutes the difference? What is the basis of obligation in both cases?
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References
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106. See above, section 3.1.
107. Roessler, loc.cit., in n. 14 at p. 52 et seq.; for the text of the 1978 version, see 33 Europa-Archiv (1978) D 455.
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115. Rotter, loc.cit., in n. 11 at p. 421.
116. Loc.cit., in n. 31 and 29.
117. See above, text accompanying n. 97 and 98.
118. See the implementation procedures for the Generalized System of Preferences, UN Doc. TD/B/331, no. VIII. As to the reasons for the relative lack of precision of these provision, see ibid. p. 12.
119. Schweisfutth, loc.cit., in n. 3 at p. 711 et seq.
120. 18 ILM (1979) p. 49.
121. On the question of extended coastal state jurisdiction, national practice seems to be grosso modo in conformity with the Negotiating Texts of the Law of the Sea Conference, see Moore, , “National Legislation for the Management of Fisheries Under Extended Coastal State Jurisdiction”, 11 Journal of Maritime Law and Commerce (1980) pp. 153–182.Google Scholar
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123. Wengler, loc.cit., in n. 12 at p. 343 et seq.; Castañeda, op.cit., in n. 17 at p. 176 et seq.; ICJ Advisory Opinion, Voting Procedure on Questions Relating to Reports and Petitions Concerning the Territory of South–West Africa, Seperate Opinion of Judge Lauterpacht, ICJ Reports (1955) p. 120.
124. Virally, loc.cit., in n. 3 at p. 30.
125. To choose a non-legal form of obligation in order to avoid adverse effects in case of non-performance is, thus, not very realistic. See, however, the American attitude with respect to the Generalized System of Preferences, as quoted by Graham, loc.cit., in n. 88 at p. 519.
126. See Delbrück, loc.cit., in n. 14 at p. 46.
127. Virally, loc.cit., in n. 3 at p. 29.
128. Schweisfurth, loc.cit., in n. 3 at p. 710 et seq.
129. UN Doc. TD/B 331, p. 6.
130. On the history of implementation by the United States, see Graham, loc.cit., in n. 88 at p. 526 et seq.
131. Schweisfurth, loc.cit., in n. 3 at p. 691.
132. This is often used as an argument for or against the legal character of a specific obligation. See Rotter, loc.cit., in n. 11 at p. 415; Schweisfurth, loc.cit., in n. 3 at p. 691. A rare example of a non-legal agreement published in the same way as an international treaty is the “Statement of Intent” between the US Department of Energy and the Ministry for Research and Technology of the Federal Republic of Germany on co-operation in coal technology, dated 7 October 1977, published Bundesgesetzblatt (1977) II, 1239. This statement is clearly not legally binding. Both parties intended to participate in a certain project: “Such intent … is signified by the signatures…” (final paragraph of the Statement).
133. Schweisfurth, loc.cit., in n. 3 at p. 713 et seq.
134. Roessler, loc.cit., in n. 14 at p. 41.
135. Delbrück, loc.cit., in n. 14 at p. 36 et seq.; Schweisfurth, loc.cit, in n. 3 at p. 713 et seq.
136. See above, section 3.3.4.
137. Roessler, loc.cit., in n. 14.
138. Roessler, loc.cit., in n. 14 at p. 47 et seq. On the relations between US Senate and President in the field of disarmament, see Bothe, loc.cit., in n. 36 at p. 232.
139. See Bothe, , “Rechtsprobleme grenzüberschreitender Planung”; 102 Archiv dés öoffentlichen Rechts (1977) pp. 68–89 at p. 72 et seq.Google Scholar
140. See Tomuschat, , “Der Verfassungsstaat im Geflecht der internationalen Beziehungen”, 36 Veröffentlichungen der Vereinigung der Deutschen Staatsrechtslehrer (1977) pp. 7–63 at pp. 26–37.Google Scholar
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142. Baum, , “Die soziologische Begründung des Völkerrechts als Problem der Rechtssoziologie”, 1 Jahrbuch für Rechtssoziologie und Rechtstheorie (1970) pp. 257–274 at p. 259.Google Scholar
143. Contra, Schachter, loc.cit., in n. 6 at p. 30 et seq.
144. See above.
145. Cf., Schachter, loc.cit., in a 6 at p. 11.
146. Virally, loc.cit., in n. 3 at p. 29.
147. Menzel, , “Estoppel-Prinzip”, in Strupp, and Schlochauer, , eds., op.cit., in n. 8, vol. 1, p. 441 et seq.Google Scholar
148. Müller, op.cit., in n. 24 at p. 5 et seq.
149. Radbruch, op.cit., in n. 5 at p. 16; cf., on the other hand, Kelsen, op.cit., in n. 5 at p. 61 et seq.; see also Geiger, op.cit., in n. 5 at p. 293 et seq.; Green, “Law and Morality in a Changing Society”, in Green, , Law and Society (1975) pp. 1–60.Google Scholar
150. Kelsen, op.cit., at p. 60.
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