Aust's Modern Treaty Law and Practice

The Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties remains the yardstick for the interpretation of treaties. International tribunals generally base their decisions on Convention rules, although, as different areas of law with their own dispute settlement systems have developed, there are also particular approaches. The Convention rules are contained in Articles 31--33, and the chapter focuses on these. Each element of the general rule of interpretation in Article 31 and the supplementary means of interpretation in Article 32 is analysed, including the role of subsequent agreement or subsequent practice. Further sections summarise other supplementary means of interpretation and look at treaties in more than one language.