Written Correspondence

Part 2

(a) The Official Note in the third person

The customary method of correspondence between a diplomatic mission and a Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the Official Note. The note is typed in a recognized international language on official paper headed with the international crest and address, and begins as follows:

The ……………. Embassy presents its compliments to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and has the honour to inform them that…[or] to bring to their attention the following matter…

The substance of the note then follows, and the document terminates with a formula on the following lines:

The Embassy takes [or avails itself of] this opportunity of assuring the Ministry of its highest consideration.

Date [Sender’s initials and Embassy stamp]

In some countries (e.g. the USA) this final courtesy is omitted.

The Official Note is also standard form of communication between Diplomatic Missions.

(b) The note verbale

The note verbale is normally used to clarify or confirm points raised in a previous conversation or to list items which one could not expect to be recalled precisely. It is written in the third person and its general form is that of the official note.

(c) The Official Letter in the first person

A less formal approach to a Minister for Foreign Affairs (by a head of mission) or to an official Ministry (by a member of the diplomatic staff of a mission) is the letter in the first person. This is written on correspondence paper with the address and date at the top, and would be on the following lines:

Head of mission to Minister of Foreign Affairs

An official letter form a head of mission to a Minister of Foreign Affairs usually begins:

‘Your Excellency’ or sometimes just ‘Sir’ or ‘Excellency’, followed by:

I have the honour…

and ends with the sentence:

I avail myself of the opportunity to assure Your Excellency of my highest consideration

Or

Accept, Excellency, the renewed assurances of my highest consideration.

[Name of sender]

Alternatively, and depending on the Ambassador’s relationship with the Minister a letter might begin ‘My dear Minister’, and end with the words ‘Yours sincerely’. This less formal approach is used in the UK since no British Minister or official there is properly addressed as ‘Excellency’.

If the letter is addressed in the form ‘Your Excellency’, it ought strictly to continue in the same way, e.g. ‘My government has studied Your Excellency’s proposal…’ However, such phraseology can become tedious, and the judicious and occasional use of the second person (you, your) is permissible, and avoids pomposity.

Official to official

As a general rule correspondence between officials begins, ‘My dear (name of addressee)’ and ends ‘Yours sincerely (name of sender).

(e) Methods of providing records of verbal discussions

Heads of mission are frequently instructed by their governments to ‘make representations’ to the Ministry of the country to which they are accredited or to ask for clarification of an issue. This necessitates a personal visit during which the diplomat ‘states his case’, and in order that there can be no room for doubt as to the purpose of his visit, he leaves behind a summary of his remarks. This may take the form of:

An aide-m`emoire which explains a government’s action or point of view, or puts forward a proposition. It is headed ‘Aide M`emoire’ and bears the date at the end, but has no signature, address or Embassy stamp.

or

A bout de papier which is typed on a paper without heading, signature or date, the theory being that its provenance could be denied if necessary. It is thus less ‘official’ than the aide-m`emoire.

Diplomats may wish to put forward a tentative suggestion at a conference, or may be instructed by their government to make representations on a matter of great delicacy, about which their own Ministry does not yet wish to take a stand. The diplomat may then choose to discuss the issue and leave a ‘non-paper’ in which the matter is clarified in a non-committal way.

(e)Rejection of a note or letter

If a Ministry of Foreign Affairs considers that a communication form another government is offensive in any way it may ‘refuse to accept’ it, even though it has already taken delivery of it and studied it. In this circumstances the Ministry – or invariably the Minister in such a serious situation – would summon the appropriate head of mission and hand back to him the document concerned informing him at the same time that it was unacceptable to his government.

Ex.1 Summarize the text in writing without referring to it. Use the following key expressions to guide your thinking:

1. customary method

2. international crest and address

3. compliments

4. the substance of the note

5. to terminate

6. standard form of communication

7. to clarify, to confirm

8. official note

9. the official letter in the first person

10. correspondence paper

11. relationships

12. pomposity

13. clarification of an issue

14. to necessitate

15. aide-m`emoire

16. bout de papier

17. non-paper

18. refuse to accept

19. to take delivery

20. unacceptable

Ex.2 Make up a summarized translation of the text:

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