HC Deb 04 February 1975 vol 885 cc473-7W
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Offairs is he will publish in the Official Report a list showing all the international agreements that exist to limit the use of weapons or materials of war, the number of countries eligible to sign each agreement and the names of those countries which have not yet signed; and what progress is being made on international discussions at present being undertaken to extend limits on the use of weapons or materials of war.

Mr. Ennals

The international scene has greatly changed since many of these agreements came into force, and it is not practicable to try to identify all the countries which may be eligible to sign and have not done so. I have therefore listed those countries which have ratified or acceded to each of the relevant agreements. The conference of the Committee on Disarmament will resume its discussions in Geneva on 4th March. A conference of Government experts on "Weapons that cause unnecessary suffering" took place in October 1974 in Lucerne, under the auspices of the ICRC, and it is hoped that a further session can be convened within the next 12 months:

(1) International Declaration Respecting Expanding Bullets. Signed at The Hague, 29th July 1899 (Treaty Series 32 (1907) Cmnd. 3751).

Ratifications:

  • Belgium
  • Denmark
  • Spain
  • Mexico
  • France
  • Greece
  • Montenegro
  • Netherlands
  • Persia
  • Romania
  • Russia
  • Siam
  • Sweden and Norway
  • Turkey
  • Bulgaria

Accessions:

  • Great Britain
  • Austria-Hungary
  • China
  • Germany
  • Italy
    • 474
  • Nicaragua
  • Portugal
  • Japan
  • Luxembourg
  • Servia
  • Switzerland

(2) International Declaration Respecting Asphyxiating Gases. Signed at The Hague, 29th July 1899 (Treaty Series 32 Cmnd. 3751).

Ratifications:

  • Belgium
  • Denmark
  • Spain
  • Mexico
  • France
  • Greece
  • Montenegro
  • Netherlands
  • Persia
  • Portugal
  • Romania
  • Russia
  • Siam
  • Sweden and Norway
  • Turkey
  • Bulgaria

Accessions:

  • Great Britain
  • Austria-Hungary
  • China
  • Germany
  • Italy
  • Japan
  • Luxembourg
  • Nicaragua
  • Servia
  • Switzerland

(3) International convention Respecting Bombardments by Naval Forces In Time Of War. Signed at The Hague, 18th October 1907 (Treaty Series 13 (1910) Cmnd. 5117).

Rectifications:

  • Great Britain
  • Germany
  • United States
  • Austria-Hungary
  • Denmark
  • Mexico
  • Netherlands
  • Russia
  • Brazil
  • Sweden
  • Bolivia
  • Salvador
  • Haiti
  • Panama
  • Japan
  • Romania
  • Cuba
  • Guatemala
  • Portugal
  • France
  • Luxembourg
  • Belgium
  • Norway
  • Siam
  • Switzerland

Accessions:

  • China
  • Nicaragua
  • Finland
  • Spain

(4) International Declaration Prohibiting The Discharge of Projectiles and Explosives From Balloons. Signed at The Hague, 18th October 1907 (Treaty Series 15 (1910) Cmnd. 5119).

Ratifications:

  • Great Britain
  • United States
  • China
  • Netherlands
  • Bolivia
  • Salvador
  • Haiti
  • Panama
  • Portugal
  • Belgium
  • Luxembourg
  • Norway
  • Siam
  • Switzerland
  • Brazil

Accessions:

  • Nicaragua
  • Finland
  • Liberia.

(5) Protocol for the Prohibition of the Use in War of Asphyxiating, Poisonous or other Gases and of Bacteriological Methods of Warfare. Signed at Geneva, 17th June 1925. (Treaty Series 24 (1930) Cmnd. 3604).

Ratifications:

  • Austria
  • Belgium
  • Brazil
  • Bulgaria
  • Canada
  • Chile
  • Czechoslovakia
  • Denmark
  • Egypt (United Arab Republic)
  • Estonia
  • Ethiopia
  • Finland
  • France
  • Germany
  • Greece
  • India
  • Italy
  • Latvia
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg
  • Netherlands
  • Norway
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Romania
  • Siam
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • Turkey
  • United Kingdom
  • Venezuela
  • Yugoslavia.

Accessions:

  • Argentina
  • Australia
  • Ceylon
  • China
  • Cuba
  • Cyprus
  • Dominican Republic
  • Ecuador
  • E1 Salvador
  • Fiji
  • Gambia
  • German Democratic Republic
  • Ghana
  • Holy See
  • Hungary
  • Iceland
  • Indonesia
  • Iraq
  • Ireland
  • Israel
  • Ivory coast
  • Jamaica
  • Japan
  • Kenya
  • Kuwait
  • Lebanon
  • Lesotho
  • Liberia
  • Libya
  • Madagascar
  • Malawi
  • Malaysia
  • Maldive Islands
  • Malta
  • Mauritius
  • Mexico
  • Monaco
  • Mongolia
  • Morocco
  • Nepal
  • New Zealand
  • Niger
  • Nigeria
  • Pakistan
  • Panama
  • Paraguay
  • Persia (Iran)
  • Philippines
  • Rwanda
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Sierra Leone
  • South Africa, Union of
  • Syria
  • Tankanyika (Tanzania)
  • Togo
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • Tunisia
  • Tonga
  • Uganda
  • USSR
  • USA
  • Upper Volta
  • Yemen (Arab Republic of)

(6) Treaty for the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons in Latin America. Signed at Mexico City, 14th February 1967 (Treaty Series S4 (1970) Cmnd. 4409)

Ratifications:

  • Barbados
  • Bolivia
  • Brazil
  • Colombia
  • Costa Rica
  • Dominican Republic
  • Ecuador
  • E1 Salvador
  • Guatemala
  • Haiti
  • Honduras
  • Jamaica
  • Mexico
  • Nicaragua
  • Panama
  • Paraguay
  • Peru
  • Trinidad and Tobago
  • Uruguay
  • Venezuela.

Signatures:

  • Argentina
  • Chile.

(7) Additional Protocol II of the above Treaty

Ratifications:

  • United Kingdom
  • United States of America
  • France
  • People's Republic of China.