The
North Atlantic Treaty
Washington D.C. - 4 April 1949
The Parties to this Treaty reaffirm their faith in the
purposes and principles of the Charter
of the United Nations and their desire to live in peace with all peoples and
all governments.
They are determined to safeguard the freedom, common heritage and civilisation
of their peoples, founded on the principles of democracy, individual liberty and
the rule of law. They seek to promote stability and well-being in the North
Atlantic area.
They are resolved to unite their efforts for collective defence and for the
preservation of peace and security. They therefore agree to this North Atlantic
Treaty :
The Parties undertake, as set forth in the Charter
of the United Nations, to settle any international dispute in which they may
be involved by peaceful means in such a manner that international peace and
security and justice are not endangered, and to refrain in their international
relations from the threat or use of force in any manner inconsistent with the
purposes of the United Nations.
The Parties will contribute toward the further
development of peaceful and friendly international relations by strengthening
their free institutions, by bringing about a better understanding of the
principles upon which these institutions are founded, and by promoting
conditions of stability and well-being. They will seek to eliminate conflict in
their international economic policies and will encourage economic collaboration
between any or all of them.
In order more effectively to achieve the objectives of
this Treaty, the Parties, separately and jointly, by means of continuous and
effective self-help and mutual aid, will maintain and develop their individual
and collective capacity to resist armed attack.
The Parties will consult together whenever, in the
opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or
security of any of the Parties is threatened
The Parties agree that an armed attack against one or
more of them in Europe or North America shall be considered an attack against
them all and consequently they agree that, if such an armed attack occurs, each
of them, in exercise of the right of individual or collective self-defence
recognised by Article 51
of the Charter of the United Nations, will assist the Party or Parties so
attacked by taking forthwith, individually and in concert with the other
Parties, such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to
restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area.
Any such armed attack and all measures taken as a
result thereof shall immediately be reported to the Security Council. Such
measures shall be terminated when the Security Council has taken the measures
necessary to restore and maintain international peace and security (1).
For the purpose of Article 5, an armed attack on one or
more of the Parties is deemed to include an armed attack:
- on the territory of any of the Parties in Europe or North America, on the
Algerian Departments of France, (2) on the
territory of Turkey or on the Islands under the jurisdiction of any of the
Parties in the North Atlantic area north of the Tropic of Cancer;
- on the forces, vessels, or aircraft of any of the Parties, when in or over
these territories or any other area in Europe in which occupation forces of
any of the Parties were stationed on the date when the Treaty entered into
force or theMediterranean Sea or the North Atlantic area north of the Tropic
of Cancer.
This Treaty does not affect, and shall not be interpreted
as affecting in any way the rights and obligations under the Charter of the
Parties which are members of the United Nations, or the primary responsibility
of the Security Council for the maintenance of international peace and security.
Each Party declares that none of the international
engagements now in force between it and any other of the Parties or any third
State is in conflict with the provisions of this Treaty, and undertakes not to
enter into any international engagement in conflict with this Treaty.
The Parties hereby establish a Council, on which each of
them shall be represented, to consider matters concerning the implementation of
this Treaty. The Council shall be so organised as to be able to meet promptly at
any time. The Council shall set up such subsidiary bodies as may be necessary;
in particular it shall establish immediately a defence committee which shall
recommend measures for the implementation of Articles 3 and 5.
The Parties may, by unanimous agreement, invite any other
European State in a position to further the principles of this Treaty and to
contribute to the security of the North Atlantic area to accede to this Treaty.
Any State so invited may become a Party to the Treaty by depositing its
instrument of accession with the Government of the United States of America. The
Government of the United States of America will inform each of the Parties of
the deposit of each such instrument of accession.
This Treaty shall be ratified and its provisions carried
out by the Parties in accordance with their respective constitutional processes.
The instruments of ratification shall be deposited as soon as possible with the
Government of the United States of America, which will notify all the other
signatories of each deposit. The Treaty shall enter into force between the
States which have ratified it as soon as the ratifications of the majority of
the signatories, including the ratifications of Belgium, Canada, France,
Luxembourg, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States, have been
deposited and shall come into effect with respect to other States on the date of
the deposit of their ratifications.
After the Treaty has been in force for ten years, or at
any time thereafter, the Parties shall, if any of them so requests, consult
together for the purpose of reviewing the Treaty, having regard for the factors
then affecting peace and security in the North Atlantic area, including the
development of universal as well as regional arrangements under the Charter of
the United Nations for the maintenance of international peace and security.
After the Treaty has been in force for twenty years, any
Party may cease to be a Party one year after its notice of denunciation has been
given to the Government of the United States of America, which will inform the
Governments of the other Parties of the deposit of each notice of denunciation
This Treaty, of which the English and French texts are
equally authentic, shall be deposited in the archives of the Government of the
United States of America. Duly certified copies will be transmitted by that
Government to the Governments of other signatories.
Footnotes :
- The definition of the territories to which Article 5 applies was revised
by Article 2 of
the Protocol to the North Atlantic Treaty on the accession of Greece and
Turkey and by the Protocols signed on the accession of the Federal
Republic of Germany and of Spain.
- On January 16,1963, the North Atlantic Council heard a declaration by the
French Representative who recalled that by the vote on self-determination on
July 1, 1962, the Algerian people had pronounced itself in favour of the
independence of Algeria in co-operation with France. In consequence, the
President of the French Republic had on July 3, 1962, formally recognised
the independence of Algeria. The result was that the "Algerian
departments of France" no longer existed as such, and that at the
same time the fact that they were mentioned in the North Atlantic Treaty had
no longer any bearing. Following this statement the Council noted that
insofar as the former Algerian Departments of France were concerned, the
relevant clauses of this Treaty had become inapplicable as from July 3,
1962.