International Commission of Control and Supervision
Encyclopedia
During the Vietnam War
, the International Commission of Control and Supervision (ICCS) was created to replace the International Control Commission
(formally called the International Commission for Supervision and Control in Vietnam (ICSC)) following the signing of the Paris Peace Accords
("Paris Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam") on 27 January 1973.
The Protocol to the Paris Agreement detailed the functions of the ICCS. At Article 4 it named the locations of seven regional teams and twenty-six teams within those regions in South Vietnam
. It also called for seven teams to be assigned to ports of entry (for replacement of armaments, munitions and war material permitted the two South Vietnamese parties under Article 7 of the Agreement) and seven teams to supervise the return of captured and detained personnel.
In summary, the ICCS was to supervise the cease-fire, the withdrawal of troops, the dismantlement of military bases, the activity at ports of entry and the return of captured military personnel and foreign civilians. It was to report on the implementation, or violation, of the Peace Agreement and Protocols.
Canada
remained a member of the ICCS from 29 January until 31 July 1973. During this period there were 18,000 alleged cease-fire violations, which resulted in over 76,000 killed, wounded and missing to both sides. One Canadian and eight others from Hungary
(2 persons: border guard Captain Aurél Dylski and 1st Lt Csaba Cziboly), Indonesia
, the Philippines
, Poland
and the United States
were killed on 9 April 1973 when an ICCS helicopter was shot down. This was the only Canadian fatality during its time with the ICCS. In practical terms, Canada stayed long enough to supervise the American withdrawal and the exchange of prisoners of war.
The force was composed of military and civilian personnel from two communist nations, Hungary and Poland, and two non-communist nations, Canada and Indonesia. As with the old ICSC, there were continuous disagreements between the communist and non-communist nations about the causes of treaty violations. Canada attempted to counter this with an "open mouth policy" to the world’s media. After Canada’s departure from the Commission, it was replaced by Iran
.
Colonel Robert Ringma was the first Deputy Chief of Staff (Support) for the Military Component Canadian Delegation to the International Commission of Control and Supervision (MCCD ICCS), from 27 January to 1 June 1973.
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
, the International Commission of Control and Supervision (ICCS) was created to replace the International Control Commission
International Control Commission
The International Control Commission , formally called the International Commission for Supervision and Control in Vietnam , was an international force established in 1954 that oversaw the implementation of the Geneva Accords that ended the First Indochina War with the Partition of Vietnam. It...
(formally called the International Commission for Supervision and Control in Vietnam (ICSC)) following the signing of the Paris Peace Accords
Paris Peace Accords
The Paris Peace Accords of 1973 intended to establish peace in Vietnam and an end to the Vietnam War, ended direct U.S. military involvement, and temporarily stopped the fighting between North and South Vietnam...
("Paris Agreement on Ending the War and Restoring Peace in Vietnam") on 27 January 1973.
The Protocol to the Paris Agreement detailed the functions of the ICCS. At Article 4 it named the locations of seven regional teams and twenty-six teams within those regions in South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
. It also called for seven teams to be assigned to ports of entry (for replacement of armaments, munitions and war material permitted the two South Vietnamese parties under Article 7 of the Agreement) and seven teams to supervise the return of captured and detained personnel.
In summary, the ICCS was to supervise the cease-fire, the withdrawal of troops, the dismantlement of military bases, the activity at ports of entry and the return of captured military personnel and foreign civilians. It was to report on the implementation, or violation, of the Peace Agreement and Protocols.
Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
remained a member of the ICCS from 29 January until 31 July 1973. During this period there were 18,000 alleged cease-fire violations, which resulted in over 76,000 killed, wounded and missing to both sides. One Canadian and eight others from Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
(2 persons: border guard Captain Aurél Dylski and 1st Lt Csaba Cziboly), Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
were killed on 9 April 1973 when an ICCS helicopter was shot down. This was the only Canadian fatality during its time with the ICCS. In practical terms, Canada stayed long enough to supervise the American withdrawal and the exchange of prisoners of war.
The force was composed of military and civilian personnel from two communist nations, Hungary and Poland, and two non-communist nations, Canada and Indonesia. As with the old ICSC, there were continuous disagreements between the communist and non-communist nations about the causes of treaty violations. Canada attempted to counter this with an "open mouth policy" to the world’s media. After Canada’s departure from the Commission, it was replaced by Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
.
Colonel Robert Ringma was the first Deputy Chief of Staff (Support) for the Military Component Canadian Delegation to the International Commission of Control and Supervision (MCCD ICCS), from 27 January to 1 June 1973.