Convention
2
en vigueur," and is evidently issued
in order to comply with the terms of the resolution passed at the Second Conference.
According, however, to article 24 of the Convention, the Convention will come into force three months after a date notified by the Netherlands Government as being the date on which it received the last of the ratifications of all the signatory Powers.
The resolution of the Second Conference is therefore inconsistent with the Convention, and the real purpose of the new Conference will be to consider the possibility, notwithstanding the Convention, of putting the Conven- tion into force without waiting for the ratifications of all the signatory Powers, or in the event of such ratifications not being deposited by a certain date.
Article 24 of the Convention states that, "in the event of questions arising relative to the ratification of the present Convention, or to the enforcement either of the Convention or of the laws, regulations, or measures resulting therefrom, the Government of the Netherlands will, if these questions cannot be settled by other means, invite all the contracting Powers to appoint delegates to meet at The Hague in order to arrive at an immediate agreement on these questions."
The invitation of the Netherlands Government is not expressed as being issued under this article, but the Committee considered that if difficulties are raised at the Conference as to their powers to vary the terms of the Convention in respect of the date of "coming into force," this provision of article 24 may be brought forward by the British delegates in support of such powers.
4
Otherwise the effect of the forthcoming Conference may be solely to give an impetus to ratifications, in the same way that the second Conference had for its chief purpose to give an impetus to signatures.
After deliberation the Committee decided that the instructions to the British delegates should take the form of directing them :-
(i.) To press for ratification by the signatory Powers which have not yet ratified ;
(ii) To discuss the date as from which the Conven- tion shall come into force other than that prescribed in article 24 in the event of unimportant signatory Powers not having ratified;
(iii) To consider the means by which this can be effected.
J. D. GREGORY,
March 19, 1914.
[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.]
C.O
16765
REC
)
OPIUM.
REGE 8 MAY 14
[March 25.
CONFIDENTIAL.
SECTION 1.
[13499]
No. 1.
Memorandum communicated by the Netherlands Minister, March 25, 1914.
THE Greek Government has informed the Netherlands Government, through the Netherlands Minister at Athens, that it is disposed to sign the International Opium Conference of 1912, with the reserve, however, that it does not assume any obligation as far as the cultivation and preparation of opium goes in the newly acquired provinces of the kingdom.
The Netherlands Government is of opinion that such reserve would considerably diminish the value of the signature, and therefore would particularly appreciate if the British Government could send instructions to its representative at Athens tending to second the pressure which the Netherlands Minister has been charged to bear upon the Hellenic Government in order to have the said reserve withdrawn.
Netherlands Legation, March 25, 1914.
[2082 66-1]
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