Dans le cas où des services de traction monopolisés seraient établis sur les voies navigables utilisées pour le transit, l'organisation de ces services devra être telle qu'elle n'apporte pas d'entrave au transit des navires et bateaux.
Article 6.
Le présent Statut n'impose à aucun des États contractants une obligation nouvelle, du fait des présentes stipulations, d'accorder le libre transit aux ressortissant, ainsi qu'à leurs bagages, ou au pavillon d'un Etat non contractant, ni aux marchandises, voitures, wagons où autres instruments de transport ayant pour Etat de provenance, d'entrée, de sortie où de destination, un État non contractant, sauf les cas où des motifs valables seraient invoqués en faveur d'un tel transit, par l'un quelconque des autres Etâts contractants intéressés il est entendu, pour l'application du présent article, que les marchandises transitant sans transbordement, sous pavillon d'un des Etats contractants, bénéficient des avantages accordés à ce pavillon.
Article 7.
Il pourra être exceptionnellement, et pour un terme aussi limité que possible, dérogé aux dispositions des articles précédents par des mesures particulières ou générales quechacun des Etats contractants serait obligé de prendre en cas d'événements graves intéressant le sûreté de l'Etat ou les intérêts vitaux du pays, étant entendu que le principe de la liberté du transit doit être observé dans toute la mesure du possible.
Article 8.
Le présent Statut ne fixe pas les droits et les devoirs des belligérants et des neutres en temps de guerre. Néanmoins, il subsistera en temps de guerre dans la mesure compatible avec ces droits et ces devoirs.
Article 9.
Le présent Statut n'impose à aucun des Etats contractants d'obligation qui irait à l'encontre de ses droits en tant que Membre de la Société des Nations.
Article 10.
Les traités, conventions où accords conclus par les Etats contractants en matière de transit, avant la date du 1er mai 1921, ne sont pas abrogés par suite de la mise en vigueur du présent Statut.
En raison de cette non-abrogation, les Etats contractants s'engagent, soit à l'expiration de ces accords, soit dès que les circonstances le rendront possible, à apporter à ceux de ces accords ainsi maintenus qui contreviendraient aux dispositions du présent Statut, toutes modifications destinées à les mettre en harmonie avec elles, que permettraient les conditions géographiques, économiques où techniques, des pays où régions qui sont l'objet de ces accords.
Les Etats contractants s'engagent, en outre, à ne pas conclure, à l'avenir, de traités, conventions ou accords qui seraient contraires aux dispositions du présent Statut et qui ne seraient pas justifiés par des raisons géographiques, économiques où techniques, motivant des dérogations exceptionnelles.
Les Etats contractants pourront, par ailleurs, conclure des ententes régionales réletives au transit, en conformité avec les principes du présent Statut.
Article 11.
Le présent Statut ne comporte aucunement le retrait de facilités plus grandes que celles résultant,de ses dispositions et qui auraient été accordées dans des conditions compatibles avec ses principes, aux transports en transit sur le territoire placé sous la souveraineté ou sous l'autorité de l'un quelconque des Etats contractants. Il ne comporte pas d'avantage l'interdiction d'en accorder à l'avenir de semblables.
Article 12.
Conformément à l'article 23 e) du Pacte de la Société des Nations, tout Etat contractant qui pourra invoquer valablement contre l'application de l'une quelconque des dispositions du présent Statut, sur tout ou partie de son territoire, une situation économique grave, résultant de dévastations commises sur son sol pendant la guerre de 1914-1918, sera considéré comme dispensé temporairement des obligations résultant de l'application de ladite disposition, étant entendu que le principe de la liberté du transit doit être observé dans toute la mesure possible.
Article 13.
À défaut d'entente directe entre les Etats, tous différends qui surgiraient entre eux, relativement à l'interprétation ou à l'application du présent Statut, seront portés devant la Cour permanente de Justice internationale, à moins que, par application d'une convention spéciale où d'une clause générale d'arbitrage, il ne soit procédé à un règlement du différend, soit par arbitrage, soit de toute autre manière.
Le recours sera formé ainsi qu' il est prévu à l'article 40 du Statut de la Cour permanente, de Justice internationale.
Toutefois, afin de régler autant que possible ces différends à l'amiable, les Etats contractants s'engagent, préalablement à toute instance judiciaire et sous réserve des droits et attributions du Conseil et de l'Assemblée, à soumettre ces différends pour avis consultatif à l'organe qui se trouverait institué par la Société des Nations comme organe consultatif et technique des Membres de la Société, en ce qui concerne les communications et le transit. En cas d'urgence, un avis provisoire pourra récommander toutes mesures provisoires, destinées notamment à rendre au libre transit les facilités dont il jouissait avant l'acte où le fait ayant donné lieu au différend.
Article 14.
Etant donné qu'il existe à l'intérieur ou sur les frontières mêmes des territoires de certains Etats contractants, des zones ou enclaves d'une étendue et d'une population très faible par rapport à celle des dits territoires, et qui forment des parties détachées de ceuxci, ou des établissements appartenant à d'autres Etats métropoles et que, d'autre part, il est impossible, pour des raisons administratives, d'appliquer les dispositions du présent Statut aux dites zones où enclaves, il est convenu que ces dispositions ne s' y appliqueront pas.
In en sera de même, lorsqu'une colonie ou dépendance possède une frontière particulièrement longue par rapport à sa superficie, qui rend en fait, impossible la surveillance de la douane et de la police.
Toutefois, les Etats intéressés appliqueront, dans les cas visés ci-dessus, un régime qui, dans la mesure du possible, respectera les principes du présent Statut et qui facilitera le transit et les communications.
Article 15.
Il est entendu que ce statut ne doit pas être interprété comme réglant en quoi que ce soit les droits et obligations "inter se" de térritoires faisant partie ou placés sous la protection d'un même Etat souverain, que ces territoires, pris individuellement, soient où non Membres de la Société des Nations.
Convention and statute on freedom of transit.
ALBANIA, AUSTRIA, BELGIUM, BOLIVIA, BRAZIL, BULGARIA, CHILE, CHINA, COLOMBIA, COSTA-RICA, CUBA, DENMARK, THE BRITISH EMPIRE (WITH NEW ZEALAND AND INDIA), SPAIN, ESTHONIA, FINLAND, FRANCE, GREECE, GUATEMALA, HAITI, HONDURAS, ITALY, JAPAN, LATVIA, LITHUANIA, LUXEMBURG, NORWAY, PANAMA, PARAGUAY, THE NETHERLANDS, PERSIA, POLAND, PORTUGAL, ROUMANIA, THE SERB-CROAT-SLOVENE STATE, SWEDEN, SWITZERLAND, CZECHO-SLOVAKIA, URUGUAY AND VENEZUELA:
Desirous of making provision to secure and maintain freedom of communications and of transit,
Being of opinion that in such matters general conventions to which other Powers may accede at a later date constitute the best method of realising the purpose of Article 23 (e) of the Covenant of the League of Nations,
Recognising that it is well to proclaim the right of free transit and to make regulations thereon as being one of the best means of developing cooperation between States without prejudice to their rights of souvereignty or authority over routes available for transit,
Having accepted the invitation of the League of Nations to take part in a Conference at Barcelona which met on March 10th, 1921, and having taken note of the final Act of such Conference,
Anxious to bring into force forthwith the provisions of the Regulations relating to transit by rail or waterway adopted thereat,
Wishing to conclude a Convention for this purpose, the HIGH CONTRACTING PARTIES have appointed as their Plenipotentiaries:
The President of the Supreme Council of Albania:
Monsignor Fan S. Noli,
Member of Parliament;
The President of the Republic of Austria:
M. Henri Reinhardt,
Ministerial Councillor;
His Majesty the King of the Belgians:
M. Xavier Neujean,
Member of the Chamber of Representatives, Minister of Railways, Marine, Posts and Telegraphs;
The President of the Republic of Bolivia:
M. Trifon Melean,
Bolivian Consul-General in Spain;
The President of the Republic of Brazil:
His Majesty the King of Bulgaria:
M. Lubin Bochkoff,
Civil Engineer, Assistant to the Director-General of Railways and Ports;
The President of the Republic of Chille:
Señor Manuel Rivas Vicuña,
Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary;
The President of the Republic of China:
M. Ouang Yong-Pao,
Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary;
The President of the Republic of Colombia:
The President of the Republic of Costa Rica:
The President of the Republic of Cuba:
His Majesty the King of Denmark and of Iceland:
M. Peter Andreas Holck-Colding,
Chef du Bureau in the Ministry of Public Works;
His Majesty the King of Spain:
Señor Don Emilio Ortuño y Berte,
Member of the Chamber of Deputies, formerly Minister of Public Works;
The President of the Esthonian Republic:
M. Charles Robert Pusta,
Minister Plenipotentiary;
The President of the Republic of Finland:
M. Rolf Thiesleff,
Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary;
The President of the French Republic:
M. Maurice Sibille,
Deputy, Member of the Comité consultatif des Chemins de fer français;
His Majesty the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of the British Dominions beyond the Seas, Emperor of India:
Sir Hubert Llewellyn Smith, G. C. B.,
Economic Adviser to the Governement;
and for the Dominion of New Zealand:
Sir Hubert Llewellyn Smith, G. C. B.
For India:
Sir Louis James Kershaw, K. C. S. I., C. I. E.,
Secretary in the Revenue and Statistics Department in the India Office;
His Majesty the King of the Hellenes:
M. Pierre Scassi,
Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary of His Hellenic Majesty in Spain;
The President of the Republic of Guatemala:
Dr. Norberto Galvez,
Guatemalan Consul, General at Barcelona;
The President of the Republic of Haiti:
The President of the Republic of Honduras:
His Majesty the King of Italy:
M. Paolo Bignami,
Engineer, Member of the Chamber of Deputies, formerly Under-Secretary of State;
His Majesty the Emperor of Japan:
M. Matsuda,
Minister Plenipotentiary, Counsellor of the Japanese Embassy in Paris;
The President of the Republic of Latvia:
M. Germain Albat,
Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs;
The President of the Lithuanian Republik:
M. V. Sidzikauskas,
Charge d'Affaires at Berne;
Her Royal Highness the Grand-Duchess of Luxemburg:
M. Antoine Lefort,
Chargé d'Affaires at Berne;
His Majesty the King of Norway:
Dr. Fridjof Nansen,
Professor in Christiania University;
The President of the Republic of Panama:
Dr. Evenor Hazera,
Consul-General for Panama in Spain, formerly Under-Secretary of State;
The President of the Republic of Paraguay:
Her Majesty the Queen of the Netherlands:
Jonkheer van Panhuys,
Minister Plenipotentiary;
His Imperial Majesty of the Shah of Persia:
His Excellency Mirza Hussein Khan Alai,
Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Spain;
The President of the Polish Republic:
M. Joseph Wielovieyski;
The President of the Portuguese Republic:
M. Alfredo Freire d'Andrade,
formerly Minister of Foreign Affairs;
His Majesty the King of Roumania:
M. E. Margaritesco Grecianu,
Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary;
His Majesty the King of the Serbs, Croats and Slovenes:
Dr. Ante Tresich-Pavichich,
Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Spain and Portugal;
His Majesty the King of Sweden:
M. Fredrik V. Hansen,
Director General of Hydraulic Powers and State Canals;
The President of the Swiss Confederation:
M. Giuseppe Motta,
Federal Councillor, Chief of the Federal Political Department;
The President of the Czecho-Slovak Republic:
Dr. Ottokar Lankas,
Ministerial Councillor and Director of Transport in the Ministry of Railways;
The President of the Oriental Republic of Urugay:
M. Benjamin Fernandez y Medina,
Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Spain;
The President of the United States of Venezuela:
Who, after communicating their full powers found in good and due form, have agreed as follows:
Article 1.
The High Contracting Parties declare that they accept the Statute on Freedom of Transit annexed hereto, adopted by the Barcelona Conference on April 14th, 1921.
This Statute, will be deemed to constitute an integral part of the present Convention. Consequently, they hereby declare that they accept the obligations and undertakings of the said Statute in conformity with the terms and in accordance with the conditions set out therein.
Article 2.
The present Convention does not in any way affect the rights and obligations arising out of the provisions of the Treaty of Pleace signed at Versailles on June 28th, 1919, or out of the provisions of the other corresponding Treaties, in so far as they concern the Powers which have signed, or which benefit by such Treaties.
Article 3.
The present Convention, of which the French and English texts are both authentic,
shall bear this day's date and shall he open for signature untill December 1st, 1921.
Article 4.
The present Convention is subject to ratification. The instruments of ratification shall be transmitted to the Secretary-General of the League of Nations who will notify the receipt of them to the other Members of the League and to States admitted to sign the Convention. The instruments of ratification shall be deposited in the archives of the Secretariat.
In order to comply with the provisions of Article 18 of the Covenant of the League of Nations, the Secretary-General will register the present Convention upon the deposit of the first ratification.
Article 5.
Members of the League of Nations which have not signed the present Convention before December 1st, 1921, may accede to it.
The same applies to State not Members of the League to which the Council of the League may decide officially to communicate the present Convention.
Accession will be notified to the Secretary-General of the League who will inform all Powers concerned of the accession and of the date on which it was notified.
Article 6.
The present Convention will not come into force until it has been ratified by five Powers. The date of its coming into force shall be the ninetieth day after the receipt by the Secretary-General of the League of Nations of the fifth ratification. Thereafter the present Convention will take effect in the case of each Party ninety days after the receipt of its ratification or of the notification of its accession.
Upon the coming into force of the present Convention, the Secretary-General will address a certified copy of it to the Powers not Members of the League which are bound under the Treaties of Peace to accede to it.
Article 7.
A special record shall be kept by the Secretary-General of the League of Nations,
showing which of the Parties have signed ratified, acceded to or denounced the present Convention. This record shall be open to the Members of the League at all times it shall be published as often as possible in accordance with the directions of the Council.
Article 8.
Subject to the provisions of Article 2 of the present Convention the latter may be denounced by any Party thereto after the expiration of five years from the date when it came into force in respect of that Party. Denunciation shall be effected by notification in writing addresed to the Secretary-General of the League of Nations. Copies of such notification shall be transmitted forthwith by him to all the other Parties, informing them of the date on which it was received.
The denunciation shall take effect one year after the date on which it was notified to the Secretary-General, and shall operate only respect of the notifying Power.
Article 9.
A request for the revision of the present Convention may be at any time by one-third of the High Contracting Parties.
In faith whereof the above-named Plenipotentiaries have signed the present Convention.
Done at Barcelona the twentieth day of April one thousand nine hundred and twenty-one, in a single copy which shall remain deposited in the archives of the League of Nations.
South Africa:
Albania:
(L. S.) Fan S. Noli.
Argentina:
Australia:
Austria:
(L. S.) Reinhardt.
Belgium:
(L. S.) Xavier Neujean.
Bolivia:
(L. S.) Trifon Melean.
Brazil:
Bulgaria:
(L. S.) L. Bochkoff.
Canada:
Chile:
(L. S.) Manuel Rivas Vicuña.
China:
(L. S.) Ouang Yong-Pao.
Colombia:
Costa-Rica:
Cuba:
Denmark:
(L. S.) A. Holck-Colding.
British Empire:
(L. S.) H. Llewellyn Smith.
Subject to the declaration inserted in the Procès-verbal of the meeting of April 19th, 1921, as to the British Dominions which have not been represented at the Barcelona Conference.
New Zealand:
(L. S.) H. Llewellyn Smith.
India:
(L. S.) Kershaw.
Spain:
(L. S.) E. Ortuño.
Esthonia:
(L. S.) C. R. Pusta.
Finland:
(L. S.) Rolf Thesleff.
France:
(L. S.) Maurice Sibille.
Greece:
(L. S.) P. Scassi.
Quatémala:
(L. S.) N. Galvezs.
Haiti:
Honduras:
Italy:
(L. S.) Paolo Bignami.
Japan:
(L. S.) M. Matsuda.
Latvia:
(L. S.) Germain Albat.
Lithuania:
(L. S.) V. Sidzikauskas.
Luxemburg:
(L. S.) Lefort.
Nicaragua:
Norway:
(L. S.) Fridjof Nansen.
Panama:
(L. S.) Evenor Hazera.
Paraguay:
Netherlands:
(L. S.) van Panhuys.
Peru:
Persia:
(L. S.) Hussein Khan Alai.
Poland:
(L. S.) Joseph Wielovieyski.
Portugal:
(L. S.) A. Freire d'Andrade.
Roumania:
(L. S.) E. Margaritesco Grecianu.
Salvador:
Serbe-Croat-Slovene State:
(L. S.) Ante Tresich-Pavicic.
Siam:
Sweden:
(L. S.) Fredrik Hansen.
Switzerland:
(L. S.) Motta.
Czecho-Slovakia:
(L. S.) Dr. Lankáš Otakar.
Uruguay:
(L. S.) B. Fernandez y Medina.
Venezuela:
Statute on freedom of transit.
Article I.
Persons, baggage and goods and also vessels, coaching and goods stock, and other means of transport, shall be deemed to be in transit across territory under the sovereignty or authority of one of the Contracting States, when the passage across such territory, with or without transhipment, warehousing, breaking bulk, or change in the mode of transport, is only a portion of a complete journey, beginning and terminating beyond the frontier of the State across whose territory the transit takes place.
Trafic of this nature is termed in this Statute "trafic in transit".
Article 2.
Subject to the other provisions of this Statute, the measures taken by Contracting States for regulating and forwarding traffic across territory under their sovereignty or authority shall facilitate free transit by rail or waterway on routes in use convenient for international transit. No distinction shall be made which is based on the nationality of persons, the flag of vessels, the place or origin, departure, entry, exit or destination, or on any circumstances relating to the ownership of goods or of vessels, coaching or goods stock or other means of transport.