Socrates recommended that one should begin a dissertation by denning one's terms.

For some time now, the name, “humanitarian law”, has been used to describe the large body of public international law derived from humanitarian sentiments and centred upon the protection of the individual.

The term has both a broad and a narrow sense. In the broad sense, international humanitarian law consists of those rules of international conventional and customary law which ensure respect for the individual and promote his development to the fullest possible extent compatible with law and order and, in time of war, with military necessities.

Mention has been made in a previous number of the International Review that negotiations were being carried out between the Nigerian Government and the ICRC, following on that government's decision to put an end to the co-ordinating role which the International Committee had assumed for the relief action in territory under Nigerian control. At the end of August these negotiations were being pursued and we now give details of these below.

Mr. Raymond Courvoisier has since 1 August 1969 taken over the appointment of special assistant to the President of the International Committee, thus bringing it his wide experience in the field of international humanitarian law. It should, in fact, be recalled that from 1936 to 1945 he undertook a large number of missions in ICRC service as delegate in Spain, Turkey, in East European and Middle East countries. Furthermore, he was in charge of a section in the Central Prisoners of War Agency in Geneva during the Second World War.

Work carried out during the past year is described in the usual ICRC report.

The 1968 Annual Report is divided as previously into two parts: practical, and general and permanent activities. The former deals with various countries and continents. Emphasis is laid on efforts made for victims in the Nigerian conflict and relief data showed their increasing extent. On the other hand, some of the specialist services, such as the Central Tracing Agency in Geneva, the International Tracing Service at Arolsen, the Medical Personnel and War Disablement Sections have continued to be particularly active. One has only to quote the Central Agency which in 1968 received 54,783 communications and sent out 54,227 items, a considerable increase in volume in comparison with the previous year.

In its last number, the International Review mentioned the departure from Geneva of Mr. S. Nessi, ICRC delegate-general for Latin America and of Mr. E. Leemann, delegate, as a result of the appeal made by the Red Cross of Honduras due to the conflict which had broken out between Honduras and El Salvador. On arrival the ICRC representatives were able to visit prisoners of war and interned civilians on several occasions in those two countries and distribute relief to them.