One of the most pleasant tasks within the context of my new functions at the Court's Secretariat is to write these introductory lines to the Bulletin. Both as a former Court member and practitioner, I have been long acquainted with the Bulletin's pages and know very its importance as a source of information for those involved in arbitral practice and in particular for users of ICC arbitration.

The present issue constitutes an important milestone. For the first time, the Court's administrative decisions on the application of the ICC Rules are comprehensively considered in successive articles, authored by present or former members of the ICC Court, and contained in one and the same volume.

One of the distinctive features of ICC arbitration is the central role played or which may be played by the Court in the determination of matters as vital as, inter alia, the appointment of arbitrators, the constitution of the arbitral tribunal, the determination of the place of arbitration or the approval of the Terms of Reference. Since the Court's inception in 1923, the Court's administrative decisions in connection with these and other important matters constitute the very lifeblood of the ICC Arbitration Rules and a central factor for adapting their application to new circumstances. Though of course susceptible to continuous change and not creating binding precedents dictating the Court's future determinations or course of action, the analysis and orderly presentation of administrative decisions of the Court by some of its members evidence the seriousness of the Court's work in ensuring the principled and evenhanded application of the ICC Rules and the latter's flexibility to deal with situations not always anticipated by their framers.

1996 has been another successful year for ICC arbitration, with an ever increasing case-load, an updating and upgrading of the ICC Secretariat's resources to handle its growing responsibilities, and an ICC Court which has expanded its multinational membership. The Bulletin shall continue to accompany the Court's work and contribute to the development of international commercial arbitration as we approach the XXIst century.

The Bulletin came to life six years ago as a result of one of the many happy initiatives of Alain Plantey to promote ICC arbitration and favour the expansion of international commercial arbitration. These introductory lines cannot be closed without paying tribute to Mr. Alain Plantey for his important contributions to ICC arbitration as his tenure as Chairman of the ICC Court comes to an end.

Horacio Grigera Naón

Secretary General

ICC International Court of Arbitration