جایگاه حقوق بین الملل عرفی در تفسیر معاهدات

حقوق بین‌الملل عرفی و معاهدات از مهم‌ترین منابع حقوق بین‌الملل محسوب می‌شوند و مناسبات میان آنها از اهمیت ویژه‌ای برخوردار است. در این زمینه، حقوق بین‌الملل عرفی از جنبه‌های مختلف بر معاهدات تاثیر می‌گذارد؛ یکی از این جنبه‌های مهم، تاثیر آن بر تفسیر معاهدات است. طبق جزء ج بند 3 ماده 31 کنوانسیون وین، در تفسیر یک معاهده، همراه با سیاق، هر قاعده ذی‌ربط حقوق بین‌الملل قابل‌اجرا در روابط میان طرفین نیز باید در نظر گرفته شود. پرسش اصلی مقاله این است که جایگاه قواعد حقوق بین‌الملل عرفی در تفسیر معاهدات چیست؟ به نظر می‌رسد که در نظر گرفتن قواعد حقوق بین‌الملل عرفی در فرایند تفسیر معاهده به جلوگیری از تفسیر و اجرای یک معاهده به‌عنوان یک رژیم مستقل کمک می‌کند. بنابراین، چندپارگی حقوق بین‌الملل را کاهش می‌دهد و یکپارچگی سیستمیک در نظام حقوقی بین‌المللی را ارتقا می‌دهد. در این مقاله با بهره‌گیری از منابع کتابخانه‌ای، اسناد بین‌المللی و آرای قضائی بین‌المللی و با استفاده از روش توصیفی–تحلیلی، جایگاه قواعد حقوق بین‌الملل عرفی در تفسیر معاهدات مورد بررسی و مداقه قرار می‌گیرد.

the position of customary international law in the interpretation of treaties

undoubtedly, international treaties are one of the most important sources of international law and have a special place in international law due to their stability, clarity, and precision in proving and explaining the obligations of the parties. however, it can be said that despite the great care and attention taken by negotiators when drafting treaty provisions, there is no treaty that does not raise some issues regarding treaty interpretation, especially as each state tries to interpret the treaty in accordance with its national interests. according to article 31(1) of the convention on the law of treaties, a treaty must be interpreted in accordance with the ordinary meaning given to the terms of the treaty in their context and having regard to the subject matter and purpose of the treaty.therefore, in many cases, it is sufficient to consider the ordinary meaning of treaty terms in their context and with regard to the subject matter and purpose for interpreting treaty provisions and terms .however, in some cases, the text of the treaty may not be sufficient to interpret the terms of the treaty, and the interpreter needs to refer to other rules outside the text of the treaty being interpreted (including customary international law) in order to properly carry out the interpretation process. the relationship between the treaty and other relevant rules of international law, including customary international law, is of particular importance. in this context, the relevant rules of international law can affect the treaty in various aspects; one of these important aspects is its effect on the interpretation of the treaty. therefore, the purpose of this article is to explain the role of customary international law in the interpretation of treaties. in this paper, by using library sources, international documents, and international judicial decisions and through a descriptive analytical method, the position of the rules of customary international law in the interpretation of treaties will be studied. article 31(3)(c) of the 1969 vienna convention on the law of treaties states that in the interpretation of a treaty, together with the context, “any relevant rules of international law applicable in the relations between the parties” shall be taken into account. therefore, in interpreting a treaty, in addition to its text and context and other elements of the general rule of interpretation contained in article 31 of the convention on the law of treaties, the rules of customary international law must also be taken into account. it seems that the importance of article 31(3)(c) of the convention on the law of treaties stems from the fact that it refers to the relationship between the provisions of the treaty and other relevant rules of international law. therefore, article 31(3)(c) is related to the issue of “systemic integration” in the international legal system. the principle of systemic integration means that treaties must be interpreted and implemented within the framework of international law and that the spirit of the rules of international law must always govern them. it is worth noting that, according to the general rule of interpretation provided for in article 31 of the vienna convention, the text of the treaty is the starting point of the interpretation process. however, relevant rules of international law, including customary international law, must be considered in context. hence, the rules of customary international law play an auxiliary or secondary role in the interpretation of treaties. in other words, the treaty being interpreted retains the primary role in the interpretation process. on the other hand, it seems that in the process of interpreting a treaty, the interpreter must consider the customary rule applicable in the relations between the parties. this means that an interpretative authority does not have the right to exercise discretion but must consider customary law.