ABSTRACT
On the occasion of the ceremonial opening for signature of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court in Rome on 18 July 1998, the Secretary General of the United Nations called the establishment of the Court "a gift of hope to future generations, and a giant step forward in the march towards universal human rights and the rule of law". Despite the hopes carried with the signature of the Statute, some States still do object to the establishment of the International Criminal Court (ICC). Despite the obviously clear definition of third States in the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (VCLT) which reflects the undisputed common use in international law, the full scope of the term of third States if applied to the Statute becomes a little less clear. In view of its particular structure and its focus on individual responsibility, the Statute takes into account the possibility of interests of third States being affected.
