IHL Treaties - Additional Protocol (I) to the Geneva Conventions, 1977 - Commentary of 1987 Article | Article 57 - Precautions in attack | Article 57
[p.678] 2184 This article was a subject that required lengthy discussions and difficult negotiations in the Diplomatic Conference, and the text which was finally agreed upon is the fruit of laborious compromise between the various points of view. 2185 In the first place, it will be noted that no distinction is made here between various situations that may occur. In the early stages of the discussions on the codification of the law of bombardments, the possibility had been entertained of expressly providing the standard of precision required for bombardments on towns and cities which were not closely linked with military operations on land or at sea (i.e., those well behind the lines), as it was feared that the general rule of bombardments of reducing incidental loss to a minimum was insufficient for this particular situation. (1) [p.679] 2186 During the ' travaux préparatoires ' the differences of opinion were such that the ICRC had to present a draft containing two alternative solutio