State responsibility
make countermeasures unnecessary pending the decision
of the tribunal. The reference to a “court or tribunal” is
intended to refer to any third party dispute settlement procedure, whatever its designation. It does not, however, refer to political organs such as the Security Council. Nor
does it refer to a tribunal with jurisdiction between a private party and the responsible State, even if the dispute
between them has given rise to the controversy between
the injured State and the responsible State. In such cases,
however, the fact that the underlying dispute has been
submitted to arbitration will be relevant for the purposes
of articles 49 and 51, and only in exceptional cases will
countermeasures be justified.791
(9) Paragraph 4 of article 52 provides a further condition
for the suspension of countermeasures under paragraph
3. It comprehends various possibilities, ranging from an
initial refusal to cooperate in the procedure, for example
by non-appearance, through non-compliance with a provisional measures order, whether or not it is formally binding, through to refusal to accept the final decision of the
court or tribunal. This paragraph also applies to situations
where a State party fails to cooperate in the establishment
of the relevant tribunal or fails to appear before the tribunal once it is established. Under the circumstances of
paragraph 4, the limitations to the taking of countermeasures under paragraph 3 do not apply.
Article 53. Termination of countermeasures
Countermeasures shall be terminated as soon as the
responsible State has complied with its obligations under Part Two in relation to the internationally wrongful act.
Commentary
(1) Article 53 deals with the situation where the responsible State has complied with its obligations of cessation
and reparation under Part Two in response to countermeasures taken by the injured State. Once the responsible
State has complied with its obligations under Part Two, no
ground is left for maintaining countermeasures, and they
must be terminated forthwith.
(2) The notion that countermeasures must be terminated
as soon as the conditions which justified them have ceased
is implicit in the other articles in this chapter. In view of
its importance, however, article 53 makes this clear. It underlines the specific character of countermeasures under
article 49.
791
Under the Convention on the Settlement of Investment Disputes
between States and Nationals of other States, the State of nationality
may not bring an international claim on behalf of a claimant individual
or company “in respect of a dispute which one of its nationals and another Contracting State shall have consented to submit or shall have
submitted to arbitration under this Convention, unless such other Contracting State shall have failed to abide by and comply with the award
rendered in such dispute” (art. 27, para. 1); see C. H. Schreuer, The
ICSID Convention: A Commentary (Cambridge University Press, 2001)
pp. 397–414. This excludes all forms of invocation of responsibility
by the State of nationality, including the taking of countermeasures.
See paragraph (2) of the commentary to article 42.
137
Article 54. Measures taken by States other
than an injured State
This chapter does not prejudice the right of any
State, entitled under article 48, paragraph 1, to invoke
the responsibility of another State, to take lawful measures against that State to ensure cessation of the breach
and reparation in the interest of the injured State or of
the beneficiaries of the obligation breached.
Commentary
(1) Chapter II deals with the right of an injured State
to take countermeasures against a responsible State in
order to induce that State to comply with its obligations
of cessation and reparation. However, “injured” States, as
defined in article 42, are not the only States entitled to
invoke the responsibility of a State for an internationally
wrongful act under chapter I of this Part. Article 48 allows
such invocation by any State, in the case of the breach of
an obligation to the international community as a whole,
or by any member of a group of States, in the case of
other obligations established for the protection of the collective interest of the group. By virtue of article 48, paragraph 2, such States may also demand cessation and
performance in the interests of the beneficiaries of the
obligation breached. Thus, with respect to the obligations
referred to in article 48, such States are recognized as having a legal interest in compliance. The question is to what
extent these States may legitimately assert a right to react
against unremedied breaches.792
(2) It is vital for this purpose to distinguish between
individual measures, whether taken by one State or by a
group of States each acting in its individual capacity and
through its own organs on the one hand, and institutional
reactions in the framework of international organizations
on the other. The latter situation, for example where it
occurs under the authority of Chapter VII of the Charter of
the United Nations, is not covered by the articles.793 More
generally, the articles do not cover the case where action
is taken by an international organization, even though the
member States may direct or control its conduct.794
(3) Practice on this subject is limited and rather embryonic. In a number of instances, States have reacted against
what were alleged to be breaches of the obligations
referred to in article 48 without claiming to be individually injured. Reactions have taken such forms as economic
sanctions or other measures (e.g. breaking off air links or
other contacts). Examples include the following:
792 See, e.g., M. Akehurst, “Reprisals by third States”, BYBIL,
1970, vol. 44, p. 1; J. I. Charney, “Third State remedies in international
law”, Michigan Journal of International Law, vol. 10, No. 1 (1989),
p. 57; Hutchinson, loc. cit. (footnote 672 above); Sicilianos, op. cit.
(footnote 735 above), pp. 110–175; B. Simma, “From bilateralism
to community interest in international law”, Collected Courses ...,
1994–VI (The Hague, Martinus Nijhoff, 1997), vol. 250, p. 217; and J.
A. Frowein, “Reactions by not directly affected States to breaches of
public international law”, Collected Courses ..., 1994–IV (Dordrecht,
Martinus Nijhoff, 1995), vol. 248, p. 345.
793 See article 59 and commentary.
794 See article 57 and commentary.
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