ABSTRACT
One problem might have been the perception that the Convention did little to enhance the existing provisions of international law relating to the protection of diplomatic personnel. The problem occasioned the drafting of two major instruments directed at the prevention and punishment of such crimes. The crimes are declared to be common crimes of international significance, regardless of motive by virtue. The relative lack of participation in the Convention would seem to support Murphy's conclusion that: In view of this lack of support, it is immediately apparent that the convention has not been an effective international legal instrument for the protection of diplomats. The idea for a United Nations convention on the topic came originally from the International Law Commission, which made a decision in 1971 that, if the General Assembly requested it to do so, it would prepare a set of draft articles on the subject.
