I. Sources of international law as applied by the International Court of Justice

Article 38 (1) of the ICJ Statute

Treaties

1. What is the force of a treaty for a State which has signed it but has not ratified it yet?

The law of treaties obliges these states to refrain from “acts which would defeat the object and purpose” of the treaty.

Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (1969), Art. 18:

Obligation not to defeat the object and purpose of a treaty prior to its entry into force

A State is obliged to refrain from acts which would defeat the object and purpose of a treaty when:

(a) it has signed the treaty or has exchanged instruments constituting the treaty subject to ratification, acceptance or approval, until it shall have made its intention clear not to become a party to the treaty; or

(b) it has expressed its consent to be bound by the treaty, pending the entry into force of the treaty and provided that such entry into force is not unduly delayed.

Malcolm N. Shaw p. 911

Where the convention is subject to acceptance, approval or ratification, signature will in principle be a formality and will mean no more than that state representatives have agreed upon an acceptable text, which will be forwarded to their particular governments for the necessary decision as to acceptance or rejection.44 However, signature has additional meaning in that in such cases and pending ratification, acceptance or approval, a state must refrain from acts which would defeat the object and purpose of the treaty until such time as its intentions with regard to the treaty have been made clear.45

2. Can a third State be bound by a provision of a treaty?

Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (1969), Article 18:

Section 4. TREATIES AND THIRD STATES

Art. 34 General rule regarding third States	Ст. 34 Общее правило, касающееся третьих государств
A treaty does not create either obligations or rights for a third State without its consent.	Договор не создает обязательств или прав для третьего государства без его на то согласия.
Art. 35 Treaties providing for obligations for third States	Ст. 35 Договоры, предусматривающие обязательства для третьих государств
An obligation arises for a third State from a provision of a treaty if the parties to the treaty intend the provision to be the means of establishing the obligation and the third State expressly accepts that obligation in writing.	Обязательство для третьего государства возникает из положения договора, если участники этого договора имеют намерение сделать это положение средством создания обязательства и если третье государство определенно принимает на себя в письменной форме это обязательство.
Art. 36 Treaties providing for rights for third States	Ст. 36 Договоры, предусматривающие права для третьих государств
1. A right arises for a third State from a provision of a treaty if the parties to the treaty intend the provision to accord that right either to the third State, or to a group of States to which it belongs, or to all States, and the third State assents thereto. Its assent shall be presumed so long as the contrary is not indicated, unless the treaty otherwise provides. 2. A State exercising a right in accordance with paragraph 1 shall comply with the conditions for its exercise provided for in the treaty or established in conformity with the treaty.	1. Право для третьего государства возникает из положения договора, если участники этого договора имеют намерение посредством этого положения предоставить такое право либо третьему государству, либо группе государств, к которой оно принадлежит, либо всем государствам и если третье государство соглашается с этим. Его согласие будет предполагаться до тех пор, пока не будет иметься доказательств противного, если договором не предусматривается иное. 2. Государство, пользующееся правом на основании п. 1, выполняет условия пользования этим правом, предусмотренные договором или установленные в соответствии с договором.
Art. 37 Revocation or modification of obligations or rights of third States	Ст. 37 Отмена или изменение обязательств или прав третьих государств
1. When an obligation has arisen for a third State in conformity with article 35, the obligation may be revoked or modified only with the consent of the parties to the treaty and of the third State, unless it is established that they had otherwise agreed. 2. When a right has arisen for a third State in conformity with article 36, the right may not be revoked or modified by the parties if it is established that the right was intended not to be revocable or subject to modification without the consent of the third State.	1. Если для третьего государства возникает обязательство в соответствии со ст. 35, то это обязательство может быть отменено или изменено только с согласия участников договора и третьего государства, если только не установлено, что они условились об ином. 2. Если для третьего государства возникает право в соответствии со статьей 36, то это право не может быть отменено или изменено участниками, если установлено, что согласно существовавшему намерению, это право не подлежало отмене или изменению без согласия этого третьего государства.
Art. 38 Rules in a treaty becoming binding on third States through international custom	Ст. 38 Нормы, содержащиеся в договоре, которые становятся обязательными для третьих государств в результате возникновения международного обычая
Nothing in articles 34 to 37 precludes a rule set forth in a treaty from becoming binding upon a third State as a customary rule of international law, recognized as such.	Стст. 34 - 37 никоим образом не препятствуют какой-либо норме, содержащейся в договоре, стать обязательной для третьего государства в качестве обычной нормы международного права, признаваемой как таковая.

Malcolm N. Shaw p. 928 - 930

Third states

Third states are not parties to the treaty. The general rule is that int. agreements bind only the parties to them. The reasons for this rule can be found in the fundamental principles of the sovereignty and independence of states, which posit that states must consent to rules before they can be bound by them. This is a general proposition and is not necessarily true in all cases.

However, it does remain as a basic approach. Art. 34 of the Vienna Convention echoes the general rule in that ‘a treaty does not create either obligations or rights for a third state without its consent’. It is quite clear that a treaty cannot impose obligations upon third states and this was emphasised by the International Law Commission during its deliberations prior to the Vienna Conferences and Convention.

There is, however, one major exception to this: where the provisions of the treaty have entered into customary law. In such a case, all states would be bound, regardless of whether they had been parties to the original treaty or not.

This point arises with regard to article 2(6) of the UN Charter:

the organisation shall ensure that states which are not members of the United Nations act in accordance with these principles so far as may be necessary for the maintenance of international peace and security.

It is sometimes maintained that this provision creates binding obligations rather than being merely a statement of attitude with regard to non-members of the UN.125

This may be the correct approach since the principles enumerated in article 2 of the Charter can be regarded as part of customary int. law, and in view of the fact that an agreement may legitimately provide for enforcement sanctions to be implemented against a state guilty of aggression.

Further, particular kinds of treaties may create obligations or rights erga omnes. In such cases, all states would presumptively be bound by them and would also benefit.

In other words, for an obligation to be imposed by a treaty upon a third state, the express agreement of that state in writing is required, while in the case of benefits granted to third states, their assent is presumed in the absence of contrary intention. This is because the general tenor of customary int. law has leaned in favour of the validity of rights granted to third states, but against that of obligations imposed upon them, in the light of basic principles of state sovereignty, equality and non-interference.