Diplomatic handbook Seventh Edition

R. G. Feltham

Sometime Sub-Warden of Queen Elizabeth House and Founder-Director and

Senior Tutor. Oxford University Foreign Service Programme

Longman London and New York

Addison Wesley Longman Limited

Edinburgh Gate

Harlow, Essex CM20 2JE

England

and Associated Companies throughout the world

in the United States of America

by Addison Wesley Longman Inc., New York

© Addison Wesley Longman Limited 1970. 1998

The right of R. G. Feltham to be identified as the author of this Work has been

asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved; no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a

retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,

photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior written permission of the

Publishers or a licence permitting restricted copying in the United Kingdom issued by

the Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd., 90 Tottenham Court Road, London WIP 9HE

First published 1970

Second edition 1977

Third edition 1980

Fourth edition 1982

Fifth edition 1988

Sixth edition 1993

Seventh edition 1998

ISBN 0 582 31716 9 Paper

British Library Cataloguing-ill-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is

available from the British Library

Library of Congress Cataloging-ill-Publication Data

Feltham, R. G. (Ralph George)

Diplomatic handbook / R. G. Feltham. - 7th ed.

p. cm.

Includes index.

ISBN 0-582-31716-9

1. Diplomatic and consular service. 2. Diplomacy. 3. Diplomats –

Handbooks, manuals, etc. 1. Title.

JZ1405.F45 1998

341.3'3 - dc21 97-43901

CIP

Set by 35 in 10/1 lpt Times

Produced through Longman Malaysia, PJB

CONTENTS

Preface viii

Acknowledgements ix

Chapter I

DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS 10

Introduction 10

The establishment of diplomatic relations and of permanent

diplomatic missions 11

The conduct of diplomatic relations in the absence of a full

diplomatic mission or when diplomatic relations have

been severed 15

Chapter 2

THE MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS 16

Organisation and functions 16

Relations with its own missions 17

Relations with foreign missions 18

Relations with the Diplomatic Corps 18

Chapter 3

THE DIPLOMATIC MISSION 19

General observations and definitions 19

The head of mission 20

Administration and coordination 20

Commercial and economics section 21

Consular section 22

Press and information section 22

Contents

Service and specialist attachés 23

Absence or indisposition of a head of mission 23

Appointments, arrivals and departures 24

The diplomat 26

Chapter 4

PROTOCOL AND PROCEDURE 28

Orders of precedence 28

The Diplomatic List 29

Correspondence and communication between diplomatic

missions and the host government 30

Demonstrations 32

Flags 32

Dress 33

State ceremonies 33

Official mourning 34

Chapter 5

DIPLOMATIC PRIVILEGES AND IMMUNITIES 36

Privileges and immunities in respect of the mission and

its functions 36

Personal privileges and immunities 38

Full privileges and immunities 39

Limited privileges and immunities 42

Chapter 6

CONSULAR OFFICERS AND CONSULAR POSTS 44

The establishment of consular posts 44

Consular functions 44

Consular officers, consular employees and members of the

service staff 45

The appointment of consular officers 46

Severance of consular relations 46

Privileges, facilities and immunities 46

Career consular officers and posts headed by them 47

Honorary consular officers and posts headed by them 50

Chapter 7

THE UNITED NATIONS 52

Purposes and principles 52

The United Nations Charter 53

Contents

The General Assembly 54

The Security Council 56

The Economic and Social Council 56

The Trusteeship Council 57

The International Court of Justice 58

The Secretary-General and the Secretariat 58

UN peace-keeping operations 59

Intergovernmental agencies related to the United Nations

(including Specialised Agencies) 59

Subsidiary organisations 67

Chapter 8

INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS AND

AGREEMENTS OUTSIDE THE UNITED NATIONS 71

Arab League/The League of Arab States 71

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation 71

Association of South-East Asian Nations 72

Bank for International Settlements 73

Black Sea Economic Cooperation 73

Caribbean regional organisations 73

Central American Common Market 74

Central European Initiative 74

Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa 74

The Commonwealth 75

The Commonwealth of Independent States 75

Council of Europe 76

Economic Cooperation Organisation 76

European Free Trade Association/European Economic Area 76

European Union 77

Gulf Cooperation Council 79

Indian Ocean Association for Regional Cooperation 80

Islamic Conference Organisation 80

Latin American economic organisations 80

Maghreb Arab Union 81

North American Free Trade Agreement 81

North Atlantic Treaty Organisation 82

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development 84

Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe 84

Organisation of African Unity 85

Organisation of American States 85

Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries 86

South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation 86

South Pacific regional organisations 86

Southern African Development Community 87

Contents

Visegrád group 87

West African inter-governmental economic groupings 87

Western European Union 88

World Trade Organisation 89

Chapter 9

INTERNATIONAL LAW AND PRACTICE 90

Definition and general principles 90

Treaties and treaty-making 91

Political asylum and the extradition of criminals 95

Recognition of states and governments 97

The extent of state sovereignty and jurisdiction 98

Nationality 100

Chapter 10

CONFERENCES 101

Conference practice and procedure 102

Conference management 105

Conference diplomacy 106

Chapter 11

THE DIPLOMAT AND THE MEDIA 108

The television interview 110

Appendix A

ENTERTAINING 114

Offering hospitality 114

Accepting hospitality 118

Saying 'Thank you' 119

Introducing people 119

Visiting cards 120

Wines and liqueurs 120

Non-alcoholic drinks 123

Appendix B

INTERNATIONAL ABBREVIATIONS 124

Appendix C

ISLAMIC FESTIVALS 130