His Majesty the King of the Belgians: M. Paul Hymans, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Minister of State: M. Jules van den Heuvel, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of His Majesty the King of the Belgians, Minister of State: M. Emile Vandervelde, Minister of Justice, Minister of State; The President of the Republic of Bolivia: M. Ismail Montes, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of Bolivia at Paris; His Majesty the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of the British Dominions Beyond the Seas, Emperor of India : The Right Honourable Arthur James Balfour, O. M., M. P., His Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs; The Right Honourable Andrew Bonar Law, M. P., His Lord The Right Honourable Viscount Milner, G. C. B., G. C. M. G., His The Right Honourable George Nicoll Barnes, M. P., Minister without Portfolio. And for the Dominion of Canada: The Honourable Sir Albert Edward Kemp, K. C. M. G., Minister of the Overseas Forces; for the Commonwealth of Australia: The Honourable George Foster Pearce, Minister of Defence; for the Union of South Africa: The Right Honourable Viscount Milner, G. C. B., G. C. M. G.; for the Dominion of New Zealand: The Honourable Sir Thomas Mackenzie, K. C. M. G., High Commissioner for New Zealand in the United Kingdom; for India: The Right Honourable Baron Sinha, K. C., Under-Secretary of State for India; The President of the Chinese Republic: M. Lou Tseng-Tsiang, Minister for Foreign Affairs; M. Chengting Thomas Wang, formerly Minister of Agriculture and Commerce; The President of the Cuban Republic: M. Antonio Sanchez de Bustamente, Dean of the Faculty of Law in the University of Havana, President of the Cuban Society of International Law; The President of the Republic of Ecuador: M. Dorn y de Alsua, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of Ecuador at Paris; The President of the French Republic: M. Georges Clemenceau, President of the Council, Minister of War: M. Stephen Pichon, Minister for Foreign Affairs; M. Louis-Lucien Klotz, Minister of Finance; M. André Tardieu, Commissiary-General for Franco-American Military Affairs; M. Jules Cambon, Ambassador of France; His Majesty the King of the Hellenes: M. Nicolas Politis, Minister for Foreign Affairs; M. Athos Romanos, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the French Republic; The President of the Republic of Guatemala : M. Joaquim Mendez, formerly Minister of State for Public Works and Public Instruction, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of Guatemala at Washington, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary on Special Mission at Paris; The President of the Republic of Haiti: M. Tertullien Guilbaud, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of Haïti to Ecuador; His Majesty the King of the Hedjaz: M. Rustem Haidar; M. Abdul Hadi Aouni: His Majesty the King of Italy: The Honourable Tommaso Tittoni, Senator of the Kingdom, The Honourable Vittorio Scialoja, Senator of the Kingdom; His Majesty the Emperor of Japan: Viscount Chinda, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of H. M. the Emperor of Japan at London; M. K. Matsui, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of H. M. the Emperor of Japan at Paris; M. H. Ijuin, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiory of H. M. the Emperor of Japan at Rome; The President of the Republic of Nicaragua: M. Salvador Chamorro, President of the Chamber of Deputies; The President of the Republic of Panama : M. Antonio Burgos, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of Panama at Madrid; The President of the Republic of Peru: M. Carlos G. Candamo, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of Peru at Madrid; The President of the Polish Republic: M. Ignace J. Paderewski, President of the Council of Ministers, Minister for Foreign Affairs; M. Roman Dmowski, President of the Polish National Commiteee; The President of the Portuguese Republic: Dr. Affonso da Costa, formerly President of the Council of Dr. Augusto Luiz Vieira Soares, formerly Minister for Foreign His Majesty the King of Roumania: M. Nicolas Misu, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of Roumania at London; Dr. Alexander Vaida-Voevod, Minister without Portfolio; His Majesty the King of the Serbs, the Croats, and the Slovenes: M. N. P. Pachitch, formerly President of the Council of Ministers; M. Ante Trumbic, Minister for Foreign Affairs; M. Ivan Zolger, Doctor of Law; His Majesty the King of Siam: His Highness Prince Charoon, Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of H. M. the King of Siam at Paris; His Serene Highness Prince Traidos Prabandhu, Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs; The President of the Czecho-Slovak Republic: M. Charles Kramař, President of the Council of Ministers; Who, having communicated their full powers found in good and due form, Have agreed as follows: CHAPTER I. Export of Arms and Ammunition. ARTICLE 1. The High Contracting Parties undertake to prohibit the export of the following arms of war: artillery of all kinds, apparatus for the discharge of all kinds of projectiles explosive or gas-diffusing, flamethrowers, bombs, grenades, machine-guns and rifled small-bore breech-loading weapons of all kinds, as well as the exportation of the ammunition for use with such arms. The prohibition of exportation shall apply to all such arms and ammunition, whether complete or in parts. Nevertheless, notwithstanding this prohibition, the High Contracting Parties reserve the right to grant, in respect of arms whose use is not prohibited by International Law, export licences to meet the requirements of their Governments or those of the Government of any of the High Contracting Parties, but for no other purpose. In the case of firearms and ammunition adapted both to warlike and also to other purposes, the High Contracting Parties reserve to themselves the right to determine from the size, destination, and other circumstances of each shipment for what uses it is intended and to decide in each case whether the provisions of this Article are applicable to it. ARTICLE 2. The High Contracting Parties undertake to prohibit the export of firearms and ammunition, whether complete or in parts, other than arms and munitions of war, to the areas and zone specified in Article 6. Nevertheless, notwithstanding this prohibition, the High Contracting Parties reserve the right to grant export licences on the understanding that such licences shall be issued only by their own authorities. Such authorities must satisfy themselves in advance that the arms or ammunition for which an export licence is requested are not intended for export to any destination, or for disposal in any way, contrary to the provisions of this Convention. ARTICLE 3. Shipments to be effected under contracts entered into before the coming into force of the present Convention shall be governed by its provisions. ARTICLE 4. The High Contracting Parties undertake to grant no export licences to any country which refuses to accept the tutelage under which it has been placed, or which, after having been placed under the tutelage of any Power, may endeavour to obtain from any other Power any of the arms or ammunition specified in Articles 1 and 2. ARTICLE 5. A Central International Office, placed under the control of the League of Nations, shall be established for the purpose of collecting and preserving documents of all kinds exchanged by the High Contracting Parties with regard to the trade in, and distribution of, the arms and ammunition specified in the present Convention. Each of the High Contracting Parties shall publish an annual report showing the export licences which it may have granted, together with the quantities and destination of the arms and ammunition to which the export licences referred. A copy of this report shall be sent to the Central International Office and to the Secretary-General of the League of Nations. Further, the High Contracting Parties agree to send to the Central International Office and to the Secretary-General of the League of Nations full statistical information as to the quantities and destination of all arms and ammunition exported without licence. CHAPTER II. Import of Arms and Ammunition. Prohibited Areas and Zone of Maritime Supervision. ARTICLE 6. The High Contracting Parties undertake, each as far as the territory under its jurisdiction is concerned, to prohibit the importation of the arms and ammunition specified in Articles 1 and 2 into the fol lowing territorial areas, and also to prevent their importation and transportation in the maritime zone defined below: 1. The whole of the Continent of Africa with the exception of Algeria, Libya and the Union of South Africa. Within this area are included all islands situated within a hundred nautical miles of the coast, together with Prince's Island, St. Thomas Island and the Islands of Annobon and Socotra. 2. Transcaucasia, Persia, Gwadar, the Arabian Peninsula and such continental parts of Asia as were included in the Turkish Empire on August 4, 1914. 3. A maritime zone, including the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Persian Gulf and the Sea of Oman, and bounded by a line drawn from Cape Guardafui, following the latitude of that cape to its intersection with longitude 57° east of Greenwich, and proceeding thence direct to the eastern frontier of Persia in the Gulf of Oman. Special licences for the import of arms or ammunitions into the areas defined above may be issued. In the African area they shall be subject to the regulations specified in Articles 7 and 8 or to any local regulations of a stricter nature which may be in force. In the other areas specified in the present Article, these licences shall be subject to similar regulations put into effect by the Governments exercising authority there. CHAPTER III. Supervision on Land. ARTICLE 7. Arms and ammunition imported under special licence into the prohibited areas shall be admitted only at ports designated for this purpose by the Authorities of the State, Colony, Protectorate or territory under mandate concerned. Such arms and ammunition must be deposited by the importer at his own risk and expense in a public warehouse under the exclusive custody and permanent control of the Authority and of its agents, of whom one at least must be a civil official or a military officer. No arms or ammunition shall be deposited or withdrawn without the previous authorisation of the administration of the State, Colony, Protectorate or territory under mandate, unless the arms and ammunition to be deposited or withdrawn are intended for the forces of the Government or the defence of the national territory. The withdrawal of arms or ammunition deposited in these warehouses shall be authorised only in the following cases: 1. For despatch to places designated by the Government where the inhabitants are allowed to possess arms, under the control and responsibility of the local Authorities, for the purpose of defence against robbers or rebels. 2. For despatch to places designated by the Government as warehouses and placed under the supervision and responsibility of the local Authorities. 3. For individuals who can show that they require them for their legitimate personal use. |