Several provisions of the 1949 Geneva Conventions and of Protocol I of 1977 stipulate, expressly or implicitly, that the respective Contracting Power must implement them as soon as said instruments enter into force, that is already in peacetime. This is the case, in particular, of the articles common to the four Geneva Conventions concerning the widest possible dissemination of the text of the Conventions and the obligation of the Contracting Parties to communicate to one another the official translations of the Conventions, as well as the laws and regulations they adopt to ensure the application thereof.

— A person is hors de combat if:

a) he is in the power of an adverse Party;

b) he clearly expresses an intention to surrender; or

c) he has been rendered unconscious or is otherwise incapacitated by wounds or sickness, and therefore is incapable of defending himself

provided that in any of these cases he abstains from any hostile act and does not attempt to escape (Protocol I, Art. 41).

Pursuant to Decision No. VI of the Twenty-fourth International Conference of the Red Cross (Manila, 1981) to accept the offer made by the Swiss Red Cross to organize the next International Conference in Geneva, the relevant invitations were sent out to the members of the Conference in February of this year by the host Society.

The members of the International Conference are the duly recognized National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the States party to the Geneva Conventions, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the League of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

The ICRC learnt with very deep sorrow of the death on 18 March 1986 of Mr. Roger Gallopin, honorary member and former President of the Executive Board of the institution. In him the International Committee has lost one of its most faithful and lifelong servants.

He was 27 years old when he joined the ICRC in 1936. A young Doctor of Laws and author of a thesis on the Anglo-Irish conflict, he seemed destined for a brilliant carreer in law. And indeed his main activity consisted initially in making preparations, with one of his colleagues, for the Diplomatic Conference for the Revision of the Geneva Conventions which was due to be held in 1940 and which the outbreak of hostilities then postponed. His subsequent career revealed his talents as an organizer and diplomat.

The Assembly of the International Committee of the Red Cross has welcomed three new members: Mrs. Renée Guisan, Mr. Daniel Frei and Mr. Alain Rossier, while taking leave of four active members: Mr. Olivier Long and Mr. Victor Umbricht (both of whom have retired for reasons of age), Mrs. Marion Bovée-Rothenbach and Mr. Gilbert Etienne.

The Assembly also granted leave of absence to Mr. Peter Arbenz in view of his new duties as the Swiss Government's delegate on refugee matters.

Elected United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Mr. Jean-Pierre Hocké resigned on 1 January 1986 as Member of the Directorate and Director of Operational Activities at the ICRC. After his departure, the ICRC Assembly modified the international structure of the Directorate, which is now composed of Mr. Jacques Moreillon, Member of the Directorate, Director General, and Mr. André Pasquier, Member of the Directorate, Director of Operations.

From 2 to 11 February, Mr. Alexandre Hay, President of the ICRC, accompanied by Mr. S. Nessi, Head of the Financing Division, visited Bahrain, Qatar and Saudi Arabia in that order.

In Bahrain, where he stayed until 4 February, Mr. Hay was received by Emir Issa Ben Selman Al-Khalifa and had discussions with Sheik Mohammad Ben Moubarak Ben Hamad Al-Khalifa, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Ali Mohammad Fakhro, Minister for Education (who is also President of the Bahrain Red Crescent) and with other senior staff members of the National Society.

Mr. Maurice Aubert, Vice-President of the ICRC, went on mission from 8 to 28 February to the Far East and the Pacific which brought him to Japan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand and Australia.

In each of the countries visited, Mr. Aubert met government officials, members of parliament and senior staff members of National Red Cross Societies. He discussed various issues of humanitarian interest with them, particularly with regard to the activities of the ICRC in the world and the ratification of the Protocols additional to the Geneva Conventions.

Saint Christopher and Nevis deposited with the Swiss Government, on 14 February 1986, an instrument of succession to the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and of accession to the two Additional Protocols of 8 June 1977.

According to practice and to the final clauses, the four Conventions came into effect for Saint Christopher and Nevis on 19 September 1983, retroactively the date of its independence. The two Additional Protocols will enter into force on 14 August 1986, i.e. six months after registration of the instrument of accession.

The Italian Republic ratified, on 27 February 1986, the Protocols Additionnal to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, relating to the protection of victims of international armed conflicts (Protocol I) and non-international armed conflicts (Protocol II), adopted in Geneva on 8 June 1977.

It is the understanding of the Government of Italy that the rules relating to the use of weapons introduced by Additional Protocol I were intended to apply exclusively to conventional weapons. They do not prejudice any other rule of international law applicable to other types of weapons.

The Italian Government understands, in relation to Articles 41, 56, 57, 58, 78 and 86, that the word “feasible” is to be understood as practicable or practically possible taking into account all circumstances ruling at the time, including humanitarian and military considerations.

In January and February, the ICRC reduced, as planned, the level of its relief activities in Ethiopia. This reduction was made possible, on the one hand, by an increase in food supplies for the population in the northern provinces of that country affected by conflict and drought and, on the other, by more intensive activity on the part of other voluntary agencies in the area. While leaving in place the structures which would enable it rapidly to set up a large-scale assistance programme if the need were to appear in a given region, the ICRC has lowered the volume of its general relief distributions. In December 1985, 10,700 tonnes were distributed to 830,000 persons. This was reduced to 5,000 tonnes for 424,300 persons in January, and further to 2,800 tonnes for 181,000 persons in February in the provinces of Eritrea, Tigray, Wollo, Gondar and Hararge. The last three therapeutic feeding centres were closed on 16 January (Wukro), and on 16 and 27 February (Idaga Hamus and Adwa). However, ICRC medical teams continued to monitor the health of the populations living in provinces which were receiving assistance, concentrating their activities on groups of displaced persons in Eritrea (in the region between Keren and Barentu), Tigray (in the region between Aksum and Adwa and the region of Mehony), Wollo (in the region of Sekota) and Hararge (Wobera Woreda; Habro Woreda), all areas with major security problems.