New Agreements and Accessions

An International Monitoring System facility agreement was concluded with the Government of Norway on 10 June 2002. Under the terms of the Treaty, Norway hosts a radionuclide station at Spitsbergen (RN49), a primary seismic station at Hamar (PS27) and a primary seismic station (PS28) and an infrasound station at Karasjok (IS37), and two auxiliary seismic stations at Spitsbergen (AS072) and Jan Mayen (AS073). To date, 21 facility agreements or arrangements have been concluded to regulate the activities of the Preparatory Commission on the territory of States, including the conducting of site surveys, installation or upgrading work, the certification of facilities and provisional operation and maintenance.

Following the decision of the Seventeenth Session of the Preparatory Commission, the Commission acceded to the 1986 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties between States and International Organizations or between International Organizations on 11 June 2002. The Commission decided to accede to the 1986 Vienna Convention in view of the number of agreements it concludes with States and other international organizations and in response to United Nations General Assembly resolution 53/100 of 8 December 1998. This resolution recalled that the 1986 Vienna Convention was one of the conventions adopted under the aegis of the United Nations which had codified the law of treaties and encouraged States and international organizations that had not yet done so, to deposit the necessary instruments in order to become parties to the 1986 Vienna Convention. The 1986 Vienna Convention contains rules and procedures governing international agreements or treaties concluded between international organizations or between States and international organizations. The specific provisions of the Convention relate to conclusion and entry into force of treaties, reservations, interpretation of their provisions, impact on third parties, amendment and modification, invalidity, termination and suspension, deposit of treaties and dispute settlement procedures. Eleven international organizations have become parties to the Convention, including the United Nations, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).