Peace treaty

A peace treaty is a formal (official) agreement which ends a conflict. The conflict is usually between countries or governments, but may be between any other kind of group. The conflict is usually armed conflict, such as war, or serious disputes which might lead to war.

A peace treaty is different from an armistice, which is an agreement to cease hostilities, or a surrender, in which one side agrees to give up its arms.

Peace treaties are made in stages:

1. Negotiation (this may take a long time).
2. Agreeing a form of words.
3. Signing the document.

Peace treaties may include various items:

• Borders between countries.
• Processes for solving future disputes.
• Sharing resources (such as water).
• What to do with refugees.
• Settling existing debts.
• Scale of armaments each party is allowed to have.