No-one will be particularly surprised that neither the UK nor the US have deigned to be signatories to this protocol. :-{ *%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%**%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%* Prof B Royan www.concurrentcomputing.co.uk Concurrent Computing Ltd, 41 Greenhill Gardens Edinburgh, EH10 4BL United Kingdom +44 1314 4731 51 +44 77 1374 4731 *%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%**%*%*%*%*%*%*%*%* -----Original Message----- From: [log in to unmask] [mailto:[log in to unmask]] Sent: 09 March 2004 13:31 To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Hague Convention Second Protocol comes into force today!! Dear Colleagues, After more than 13 years hard work and campaigning, the 1999 Second Protocol to the 1954 Hague Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict has finally come into force this morning (3 months after the deposit for the 20th ratification - Costa Rica on 9th December 2003), so 9th March is a particularly auspicious day! The Protocol greatly strengthens and clarifies cultural protection and introduces new measures including the designation of cultural property under Enhanced Protection, specific war crimes, and new administrative procedures including the establishment of an International Committee and International Fund for the Protection of Culture. The Second Protocol is not retrospective in respect of events before today's date, of course, and initially is it is binding only on, and between, those States that have adopted it by ratification or accession. The list of States Parties (i.e. countries that have agreed to be bound by) to the Second Protocol is on the UNESCO website at: http://www.unesco.org/culture/laws/hague/images/2plist.doc Patrick Boylan ------------------ N.B. Please note my new address and phone number: (Prof.) Patrick J. Boylan 2A Compass Road Scraptoft Lane Leicester LE5 2HF UK Tel.: (+44) (0)-116.220.5496 E-mail: [log in to unmask]