Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations

This international treaty was concluded after preliminary work of the International Law Commission of the UN on 18 April 1961 in Vienna and has been in force since 24 April 1964. The agreement regulates the diplomatic traffic, including immunities of diplomats. 1 January 1996 belonged to the Convention to 174 countries, representing almost the entire international community. For the few states that have it ( yet) acceded to, the provisions of the Convention apply as customary international law.

The importance of the Convention was highlighted by the International Court of Justice in the case of U.S. Diplomatic and Consular Staff in Tehran ( ICJ, judgment of 24 May 1980, ICJ Reports (1980 ), 30 ff ), in which it came, that the message of United States of America was attacked in Tehran and the staff was held hostage for a long time.

There are two additional protocols, whose signing is optional to the Convention. It is the Additional Protocol on the acquisition of citizenship and the Additional Protocol on the compulsory settlement of disputes, the dispute in obliged the signatory States of the Convention, to have them plain by the International Court of Justice.