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:
Article 1
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.
Article 2
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.
Article 3
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.
Article 4
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
Article 5
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).
Article 6
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 the Mediterranean Sea or the North
Atlantic area north of the Tropic of Cancer.
Article 7
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.
Article 8
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.
Article 9
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.
Article 10
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.
Article 11
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.
Article 12
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.
Article 13
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
Article 14
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.
[The original members of the agreement were Belgium, Canada, France, Norway, Denmark, Portugal, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States. Since that date, the agreement has been joined by Greece and Turkey (1952), the Federal Republic of Germany (1955, and as a unified nation in 1990), Spain(1982), and Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary (1999) -- Ed.]
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.