RESERVATIONS AT SIGNATURE CONVENTION I (Continued) Turkey (Continued from p. 12) Extract from the procès-verbal: The Ottoman delegation declares, in the name of its Government, that while it is not unmindful of the beneficent influence which good offices, mediation, commissions of inquiry and arbitration are able to exercise on the maintenance of the pacific relations between states; in giving its adhesion to the whole of the draft, it does so on the understanding that such methods remain, as before, purely optional; it could in no case recognize them as having an obligatory character rendering them susceptible of leading directly or indirectly to an intervention. The Imperial Government proposes to remain the sole judge of the occasions when it shall be necessary to have recourse to the different proceedings or to accept them without its determination on the point being liable to be viewed by the signatory States as an unfriendly act. It is unnecessary to add that such methods should never be applied in cases of internal order.1 United States. Under reservation of the declaration made in the plenary session of the Conference held on October 16, 1907. Extract from the procès-verbal: Nothing contained in this Convention shall be so construed as to require the United States of America to depart from its traditional policy of not intruding upon, interfering with, or entangling itself in the political questions of policy or internal administration of any foreign State; nor shall anything contained in the said Convention be construed to imply a relinquishment by the United States of its traditional attitude toward purely American questions.2 CONVENTION II Argentine Republic. The Argentine Republic makes the following reservations: 1. With regard to debts arising from ordinary contracts between the citizen or subject of a nation and a foreign government, recourse (Continued, p. 16.) 1Statements of Turkhan Pasha. Actes et documents, vol. i, p. 336. 2Actes et documents, vol. i, p. 335. RESERVATIONS AT RATIFICATION CONVENTION I (Continued) United States. Reservation maintained in the act of ratification, which contains, besides, the following reservation: That the United States approves this Convention with the understanding that recourse to the Permanent Court for the settlement of differences can be had only by agreement thereto through general or special treaties of arbitration heretofore or hereafter concluded between the parties in dispute; and the United States now exercises the option contained in Article 53 of said Convention, to exclude the formulation of the compromis by the Permanent Court, and hereby excludes from the competence of the Permanent Court the power to frame the compromis required by general or special treaties of arbitration concluded or hereafter to be concluded by the United States, and further expressly declares that the compromis required by any treaty of arbitration to which the United States may be a party shall be settled only by agreement between the contracting parties, unless such treaty shall expressly provide otherwise. CONVENTION II Argentine Republic. [Not yet ratified! RESERVATIONS AT SIGNATURE CONVENTION II (Continued) Argentine Republic (Continued from p. 14) shall not be had to arbitration except in the specific case of denial of justice by the courts of the country which made the contract, the remedies before which courts must first have been exhausted. 2. Public loans, secured by bond issues and constituting the national debt, shall in no case give rise to military aggression or the material occupation of the soil of American nations. Bolivia. Under the reservation stated to the First Commission. It seems to me, therefore, that the acceptance of the proposition before us will but mean the legitimation by the Peace Conference of a certain class of wars, or at least interventions based on disputes which relate neither to the honor nor vital interests of the creditor States. In consequence of these forceful reasons, the delegation of Bolivia regrets not to give its entire assent to the proposition under discussion.1 Colombia. Colombia makes the following reservations: It does not agree to the employment of force in any case for the recovery of debts, whatever be their nature. It accepts arbitration only after a final decision has been rendered by the courts of the debtor nations. Dominican Republic. With the reservation made at the plenary session of October 16, 1907. Extract from the procès-verbal: The delegation of the Dominican Republic confirms its favorable vote on the proposal of the delegation of the United States relative to the limitation of the employment of force for the recovery of contract debts; but it renews its reservation as to the condition contained in this part of the clause: "or after accepting the offer, prevents any compromis from being agreed on," as its interpretation might lead to excessive consequences which would be the more regrettable as they are provided for and avoided in the plan of Article 53 of the new Convention for the pacific settlement of international disputes.2 Ecuador. With the reservations made at the plenary session of October 16, 1907. Extract from the procès-verbal: The delegation of Ecuador will vote affirmatively while maintaining the reservations made in the First Commission.3 1Statement of Mr. Claudio Pinilla. 2Statement of Mr. Apolinar Tejera. 3Statement of Mr. Dorn y de Alsúa. Actes et documents, vol. ii, p. 142. RESERVATIONS AT RATIFICATION CONVENTION II (Continued) Bolivia. [Not yet ratified.] Colombia. [Not yet ratified.] Dominican Republic. [Not yet ratified.] Ecuador. [Not yet ratified.] RESERVATIONS AT SIGNATURE CONVENTION II (Continued) Greece. With the reservation made at the plenary session of October 16, 1907. Extract from the procès-verbal: In the eighth meeting of the First Commission the Greek delegation, being without definite instructions, was obliged to reserve its vote on the subject of the proposition of the United States of America on the treatment of contract debts. We are to-day in a position to declare that the Royal Government accepts the said proposition, which has for its aim the doing away, by peaceful means, of differences between nations and the exclusion, conformably to the principles of international law, of the employment of armed force outside of armed conflicts. We consider, at the same time, that the provisions contained in paragraphs 2 and 3 of the text voted can not affect existing stipulations nor laws in force in the realm.1 Guatemala. 1. With regard to debts arising from ordinary contracts between the citizens or subjects of a nation and a foreign government, recourse shall be had to arbitration only in case of denial of justice by the courts of the country which made the contract, the remedies before which courts must first have been exhausted. 2. Public loans secured by bond issues and constituting national debts shall in no case give rise to military aggression or the material occupation of the soil of American nations. Nicaragua. [Not a signatory Power.] 1Statement of Mr. Rangabé. Actes et documents, vol. i, p. 336. |