Diplomatic bag

A diplomatic bag, also known as a diplomatic pouch is a kind of receptacle used by diplomatic missions. The physical concept of a "diplomatic bag" is flexible and therefore can take many forms e.g. an envelope, parcel, large suitcase or shipping container, etc. The most important point is that as long as it is externally marked to show its status, the "bag" has diplomatic immunity from search or seizure,^[1] as codified in article 27 of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.^[2] It may only contain articles intended for official use.^[2] It need not be a bag; in fact, no size limit is specified by the convention. It is often escorted by a diplomatic courier, who is similarly immune from arrest and detention.^[1][2]

Cryptography

In discussions of cryptography, the diplomatic bag is conventionally used as an example of the ultimate secure channel used to exchange keys, codebooks, and other necessarily secret materials. Like Alice and Bob, it is an example of a metasyntactic variable when used this way.

In actual practice, diplomatic bags are indeed used for exactly this purpose. An illustration is the strenuous protest made by German diplomats in Poland in the late 1920s when a cypher machine being shipped to the German Warsaw Embassy – a commercial version of the famous Enigma machine – was mistakenly not marked as protected baggage and was opened, under protest, by Polish Customs. It was released to them, supposedly without much apology (and with still more protest), on the following Monday, but had been thoroughly inspected by Polish cryptography personnel over the weekend.^{[citation needed]}

Violations

Some countries with corrupt governments have allegedly used diplomatic immunity to smuggle drugs, which was mentioned by English journalist Tony Thompson in his book Gangs: A Journey into the Heart of the British Underworld.

• During World War II, Winston Churchill reportedly received shipments of Cuban cigars by this means.^[1]
• In 1964, a Moroccan-born Israeli double agent named Mordechai Ben Masoud Louk (also known as Josef Dahan) was drugged, bound, and placed in a diplomatic bag at the Egyptian Embassy in Rome, but was rescued by the Italians.^[3] The crate that he had been placed in appeared to have been used for a similar purpose before, possibly for an Egyptian military official who had defected to Italy several years before but then disappeared without a trace before reappearing under Egyptian custody and facing trial.
• In the 1984 Dikko Affair, a former Nigerian government minister, was kidnapped and similarly treated, in an attempt to transport him from the United Kingdom back to Nigeria for trial.^[3] However, the bag was not marked as such, which allowed British customs to open it.^[3]
• In 1984, the Sterling submachine gun used to shoot dead WPC Yvonne Fletcher from inside the Libyan Embassy in London was smuggled out of the UK in one of 21 diplomatic bags.^[4][5][6][7]
• In March 2000 Zimbabwe created an international incident when it opened a British diplomatic shipment.^[1]

See also

• Military mail
• Diplomatic cable

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} "Diplomatic bag: The inside story". BBC News. March 10, 2000. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/672786.stm. Retrieved 2008-10-05. 
2. ^ ^{a b c} "Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1961" (PDF). United Nations. http://untreaty.un.org/ilc/texts/instruments/english/conventions/9_1_1961.pdf. Retrieved 2008-10-05. , p. 8
3. ^ ^{a b c} Javaid Rehman. "Islamic State Practices, International Law and the Threat from Terrorism". Hart Publishing. http://books.google.com/books?id=es9Sunv_y2MC&pg=PA128&lpg=PA128&dq=Dikko+incident&source=web&ots=XtR_bnof9H&sig=KPPxCrPRBZkOwjoYGMLuANZAdCk&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=3&ct=result. Retrieved 2008-10-05. 
4. ^ Rayner, Gordon (2009-10-16). "Yvonne Fletcher, Libya and betrayal of justice: timeline". The Daily Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/6345907/Yvonne-Fletcher-Libya-and-betrayal-of-justice-timeline.html. 
5. ^ Rayner, Gordon; Hope, Christopher (2009-10-16). "WPc Yvonne Fletcher: 'We have guns and there will be fighting'". The Daily Telegraph (London). http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/terrorism-in-the-uk/6341458/WPc-Yvonne-Fletcher-We-have-guns-and-there-will-be-fighting.html. 
6. ^ http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1984/may/15/searching-of-diplomatic-bags
7. ^ "1984: Libyan embassy siege ends". BBC News. 1984-04-27. http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/27/newsid_2502000/2502565.stm. 

External links

• eDiplomat.com: Glossary of Diplomatic Terms
• Is there such a thing as a diplomatic pouch? — Straight Dope article with extensive detailed references.