His Majesty the King of the Bulgarians: M. N. Mouchanoff, Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign The President of the Republic of Colombia: Dr. A. J. Restrepo, Permanent Delegate accredited to the League of Nations. His Majesty the King of Denmark and Iceland: M. William Borberg, Permanent Delegate accredited to the The President of the Government of the Spanish Republic: The President of the French Republic: M. René Massigli, Minister Plenipotentiary, Substitute Delegate to the Twelfth Session of the Assembly of the League of Nations. The President of the Hellenic Republic: M. Nicolas Politis, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary accredited to the President of the French Republic. The President of the Republic of Lithuania: M. Petras Klimas, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary accredited to the President of the French Republic. Her Royal Highness the Grand-Duchess of Luxemburg: M. Joseph Bech, Minister of State, President of the Govern ment. His Majesty the King of Norway: M. Birger Braadland, Minister for Foreign Affairs. The President of the Republic of Panama: M. Narciso Garay, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary accredited to the President of the French Republic and to His Britannic Majesty. Her Majesty the Queen of the Netherlands: M. W. I. Doude van Troostwijk, Envoy Extraordinary and The President of the Republic of Peru: M. A. González-Prada, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister The President of the Portuguese Republic: M. Vasco de Quevedo, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister His Majesty the King of Siam: His Serene Highness Prince Damras, Envoy Extraordinary His Majesty the King of Sweden: M. K. I. Westman, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the Swiss Federal Council. The Swiss Federal Council: M. Giuseppe Motta, President of the Swiss Confederation, Head of the Federal Political Department. The President of the Czechoslovak Republic: Dr. Eduard Beneš, Minister for Foreign Affairs. The President of the Republic of Uruguay: M. Enrique E. Buero, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary accredited to His Majesty the King of the Belgians and to Her Majesty the Queen of the Netherlands. Who, having deposited their full powers, found in good and true form, have agreed as follows: ARTICLE 1. The High Contracting Parties undertake, in the event of a dispute arising between them and being brought before the Council of the League of Nations, to accept and apply the conservatory measures of a non-military nature relating to the substance of the dispute which the Council, acting in accordance with the powers conferred upon it by the Covenant of the League of Nations, may recommend with a view to preventing the aggravation of the dispute. The Council shall fix the period of duration of these conservatory measures. It may extend this period should circumstances render it necessary. ARTICLE 2. If, in circumstances which, in the Council's opinion, do not create a state of war between the Powers at issue which are parties to the present Convention, the forces of one of those Powers enter the territory or territorial waters of the other or a zone demilitarised in virtue of international agreements, or fly over them, the Council may prescribe measures to ensure their evacuation by those forces. The High Contracting Parties undertake to carry out without delay the measures so prescribed, without prejudice to the other powers vested in the Council under Article II of the Covenant. ARTICLE 3. If the circumstances referred to in Article 2 have arisen, or if, in the event of a threat of war, special conditions, and in particular the possibilities of contact between the forces of the parties to the dispute, render it necessary, the Council may fix lines which must not be passed by their land, naval or air forces and, where necessary in order to avoid incidents, by their civil aircraft. The High Contracting Parties undertake to comply with the Council's recommendations in this matter. The lines referred to in the previous paragraph shall, if possible, be fixed by agreement with the parties at issue. Failing such agreement, the Council shall fix the lines with the consent of the party whose forces are affected, provided always that this does not involve the withdrawal of the forces further back than the exterior lines of the defence organizations existing on the frontier of the High Contracting Parties concerned at the time when the Council of the League of Nations takes its decision, and that the lines do not involve the abandonment of any other work, position or line of communication essential to the security or the supplies of the party concerned. It shall, in every case, rest with the Council to determine the period within which the said lines shall be fixed under the conditions specified above. The High Contracting Parties further agree to give strict orders to the commanders of their forces, if the Council so recommends, to take all necessary precautions to avoid incidents. ARTICLE 4. The Council shall, if it thinks fit, or if one of the parties at issueso requests before the Council has reached any of the decisions referred to in Articles 2 and 3, appoint commissioners for the sole purpose of verifying on the spot the execution of the conservatory measures of a military character recommended by the Council under the conditions specified in Articles 2 and 3. When regulating the execution of the measures it has prescribed, the Council shall, at the reasoned request of a High Contracting Party which is a party to the dispute, cause that execution to coincide with the arrival of the commissioners on the spot, so far as it may think necessary. The High Contracting Parties undertake to afford these commissioners every facility for the performance of their duties. The commissioners may not make a more extensive inspection than is necessary to enable them to carry out the duty defined in paragraph I. Nor may they make any inspection of a naval or air base, nor may they inspect military works or establishments for any purpose other than to verify the withdrawal of the forces. The rules to be followed for the composition and working of commissions of inspection shall be embodied in executive regulations which shall be prepared by the competent organs of the League of Nations so as to enter into force at the same time as the present Convention. ARTICLE 5. If any violation of the measures defined in Articles 2 and 3 is noted by the Council and continues in spite of its injunctions, the Council shall consider what means of all kinds are necessary to ensure the execution of the present Convention. Should war break out as a consequence of this violation, such violation shall be regarded by the High Contracting Parties as prima facie evidence that the party guilty thereof has resorted to war within the meaning of Article 16 of the Covenant. ARTICLE 6. The High Contracting Parties undertake to provide, by the means at their disposal, such publicity as the Council may think fit for its proceedings, decisions and recommendations when a dispute is brought before it in the cases contemplated by the present Convention. ARTICLE 7. In the cases referred to in Articles 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6, the Council's decisions and recommendations shall, except as otherwise provided in those articles, be binding for the purposes of the present Convention, provided that they are concurred in by all the Members voting other than the parties to the dispute. ARTICLE 8. The provisions of the present Convention shall only apply as between the High Contracting Parties. ARTICLE 9. The present Convention may not be interpreted as restricting the task or the powers of the Council of the League of Nations as laid down in the Covenant. Nor should it affect the right of free passage through the Suez Canal provided for in the Convention on the Free Navigation of the Suez Maritime Canal signed at Constantinople on October 29th, 1888. ARTICLE 10. The present Convention shall remain open until February 2nd, 1932, for signatures on behalf of any Member of the League of Nations or of any non-member State to which the Council of the League of Nations has communicated a copy of the Convention for this purpose. ARTICLE 11. The present Convention is subject to ratification. Ratifications shall be deposited with the Secretariat of the League of Nations. The Secretary-General shall give notice of the deposit of each ratification to the Members of the League of Nations and to the nonmember States mentioned in Article 10, indicating the date of its deposit. ARTICLE 12. As from February 3rd, 1932, any Member of the League of Nations and any non-member State mentioned in Article 10 on whose behalf the Convention has not been signed before that date may accede thereto. Accession shall be effected by an instrument deposited with the Secretariat of the League of Nations. The Secretary-General of the League of Nations shall give notice of each accession to the Members of the League of Nations and to the non-member States mentioned in Article 10, indicating the date of the deposit of the instrument. ARTICLE 13. A procès-verbal shall be drawn up by the Secretary-General of the League of Nations as soon as ratifications or accessions on behalf of ten Members of the League of Nations or non-member States have been deposited. A certified copy of this procès-verbal shall be sent by the Secretary-General of the League of Nations to each Member of the League of Nations and to each non-member State mentioned in Article 10. ARTICLE 14. The present Convention shall be registered by the Secretary-General of the League of Nations ninety days after the date mentioned in Article 13. It will then enter into force as regards all Members of the League of Nations or non-member States on whose behalf ratifications or accessions have been deposited on the date of the procèsverbal. As regards any Member of the League or non-member State on whose behalf a ratification or accession is subsequently deposited, the Convention shall enter into force on the ninetieth day after the date of the deposit of a ratification or accession on its behalf. |