Considering the Declaration on Peace and Cooperation issued by the Heads of State and Government participating in the meeting of the North Atlantic Council in Rome on 7th and 8th November 1991 calling for the establishment of a North Atlantic Cooperation Council and the North Atlantic Cooperation Council Statement on Dialogue, Partnership and Cooperation of 20th December 1991;

Noting the Partnership for Peace invitation issued and signed by the Heads of State and Government of the member States of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization at the meeting of the North Atlantic Council in Brussels on 10th January 1994;

Recognizing the need to determine the status of the missions and representatives of third States to the Organization;

Considering that the purpose of immunities and privileges contained in the present Agreement is not to benefit individuals but to ensure the efficient performance of their function in connection with the Organization;

The Parties to the present Agreement have agreed as follows:

Article 1

For the purpose of the present Agreement:

"Organization" means: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization;

"Member State" means: A State Party to the North Atlantic Treaty done in Washington on 4th April 1949;

"Third State" means: A State which is not a Party to the North Atlantic Treaty done in Washington on 4th April 1949, and which has accepted the invitation to the Partnership for Peace and subscribed to the Partnership for Peace Framework Document, is a member State of the North Atlantic Cooperation Council or is any other State invited by the North Atlantic Council to establish a Mission to the Organization.

Article 2

(a) The member State in whose territory the Organization has its headquarters shall accord to the missions of third States to the Organization and the members of their Staff the immunities and privileges accorded to diplomatic missions and their staff;

(b) In addition, the member State in whose territory the Organization has its headquarters shall accord the customary immunities and privileges to the representatives of third States, on temporary mission, who are not covered by paragraph (a) of the present Article, while present in its territory for the purpose of ensuring the representation of third States in relation to the proceedings of the Organization.

Article 3

(a) The present Agreement shall be open for signature by member States and shall be subject to ratification, acceptance or approval. Instruments of ratification, acceptance or approval shall be deposited with the Government of the Kingdom of Belgium which shall notify all signatory States of the deposit of each such instrument;

(b) As soon as two or more signatory States, including the member State in whose territory the Organization has its headquarters, have deposited their instruments of ratification, acceptance or approval, the present Agreement shall come into force in respect of those States. It shall come into force in respect of each other signatory State on the date of the deposit of its instrument.

Article 4

(a) The present Agreement may be denounced by any contracting State by giving written notification of denunciation of the Government of the Kingdom of Belgium which shall notify all signatory States of each such notification;

(b) The denunciation shall take effect one year after the receipt of the notification by the Government of the Kingdom of Belgium.

In witness whereof the undersigned, being duly authorized by their respective governments, have signed the present Agreement pf which the English and French texts are equally authentic.

Done in Brussels, this 14 th day of September 1994.