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PEACE CONFERENCES
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See also:PEACE CONFERENCES , the See also:official See also:title of the two inter-See also:national conferences held at the See also:Hague in 1899 and 1907. Both were organized at the instance of the See also:emperor See also:Nicholas II. of See also:Russia. The See also:chief See also:object of the first See also:conference, as set out in the See also:note of See also:Count Mouraviev, the See also:Russian See also:minister of See also:foreign affairs (See also:Jan. 11, 1899), was to arrive at an " understanding not to increase for a fixed See also:period the See also:present effectives of the armed military and See also:naval forces, and at the same See also:time not to increase the budgets pertaining thereto; and a preliminary examination of the means by which even a reduction might be effected in future in the forces and budgets above The See also:Map of See also:Life, 1902, pp. 92-97. mentioned."' The conference, which was attended by representatives of 26 states, sat from the 18th of May to the 29th of See also:July 1899. When the subject of excessive armaments came up for disc'Ission, the objections of the See also:German military delegate led to its See also:abandonment. Other very important matters, however, were dealt with, and three momentous conventions were adopted,viz. I. A See also:convention for the pacific See also:settlement of See also:international disputes. II. A convention See also:relating to the See also:laws and customs of See also:war by See also:land. principles of the See also:Geneva Convention of the 22nd of See also:August 1864. Three declarations on the following matters were also adopted: a. See also:Prohibition of the launching of projectiles and See also:explosives from balloons or by other similar new methods.2 b. Prohibition of the use of projectiles the only object of which is the See also:diffusion of asphyxiating or deleterious gases. c. Prohibition of the use of bullets which expand or flatten easily in the human See also:body, such as bullets with a hard envelope, of which the envelope does not entirely See also:cover the core, or is pierced with incisions. The conference furthermore passed the following resolutions: " The Conference is of See also:opinion that the restriction of military budgets, which are at present a heavy See also:burden on the See also:world, is extremely desirable for the increase of the material and moral welfare of mankind." " The Conference, taking into See also:consideration the preliminary steps taken by the Swiss Federal See also:Government for the revision of the Geneva Convention, expresses the wish that steps may be shortly taken for the assembling of a See also:special Conference, having for its object the revision of that Convention." The following vseux were adopted, but not unanimously: " 1. The Conference expresses the wish that the question of the rights and duties of neutrals may be inserted in the See also:programme of a conference in the near future. " 2. The Conference expresses the wish that the questions with regard to rifles and naval guns, as considered by it, may be studied by the Governments with the object of coming to an agreement respecting the employment of new types and calibres. " 3. The Conference expresses the wish that the Governments, taking into consideration the proposals made at the Conference, may examine the possibility of an agreement as to the See also:limitation of armed forces by land and See also:sea, and of war budgets. " 4. The Conference expresses the wish that the proposals which contemplate the See also:declaration of the inviolability of private See also:property in naval warfare may be referred to a subsequent conference for consideration. " 5. The Conference expresses the wish that the proposal to See also:settle the question of the See also:bombardment of ports, towns and villages by naval forces may be referred to a subsequent conference for consideration." See also:Great See also:Britain signed and became a party to the three Conventions, but not to all the declarations, &c. The Conference of 1907, which was attended by representatives of See also:forty-four states, sat from the 15th of See also:June to the 18th of See also:October. Again, in spite of the See also:resolution and viceu on armaments handed down from the Conference of 1899 this subject was waived, but still more important conventions than in 1899 were adopted on other matters. These were as follows: I. Convention for the pacific settlement of international disputes.' II. Convention respecting the limitation of the employment of Sorce for the recovery of See also:contract debts. IV. Conventions concerning the laws and customs of war on land.' V. Convention respecting the rights and duties of neutral See also:powers and persons in war on land. VI. Convention relative to the status of enemy See also:merchant-See also:ships at the outbreak of hostilities. ' At the Conference the Russian government, further developing the proposal, submitted the following details: " 1. See also:Establishment of an international understanding for a See also:term of five years, stipulating non-increase of the present.figures of the peace effective of the troops kept up for See also:home use. " 2. Fixation, in See also:case of this understanding being arrived at, and, if possible, of the figures of the peace effective of all the powers excepting colonial troops. " 3. See also:Maintenance for a like term of five years of the amount of the military budgets at present in force." 2 This Conference was held at Geneva in June-July 1906. The revised Convention, composed of 33 articles, is dated July 6, 1906. This is an amended edition of that of 1899. IX. Convention respecting bombardment by naval forces in time of war. X. Conventions for the See also:adaptation of the principles of the Geneva Convention to maritime war.' XI. Convention relative to certain restrictions on the exercise of the right of See also:capture in maritime war.4 A draft Convention relative to the creation of a judicial See also:arbitration See also:court was also See also:drawn up in connexion with the first of the four following viceux: 1. The Conference calls the See also:attention of the signatory powers to the advisability of adopting the annexed draft convention for the creation of a judicial arbitration court, and of bringing it into force as soon as an agreement has been reached respecting the selection of the See also:judges and the constitution of the court. 2. The Conference expresses the opinion that, in case of war, the responsible authorities, See also:civil as well as military, should make it their special See also:duty to ensure and safeguard the maintenance of pacific relations, more especially of the commercial and See also:industrial relations between the inhabitants of the belligerent states and neutral countries. 3. The Conference expresses the opinion that the powers should regulate, by special See also:treaties, the position, as regards military charges, of foreigners residing within their territories. 4. The Conference expresses the opinion that the preparation of regulations relative to the laws and customs of naval war should figure in the programme of the next conference,' and that in any case the powers may apply, as far as possible, to war by sea the principles of the Convention relative to the laws and customs of war on land. Finally, the Conference recommended to the powers the See also:assembly of a Third Peace Conference, and it called their attention to the See also:necessity of preparing the programme of this Third Conference a sufficient time in advance to ensure its deliberations being conducted with the necessary authority and expedition. In See also:order to attain this object the Conference considered that it " would be very desirable that, some two years before the probable date of the See also:meeting; a preparatory See also:committee should be charged by the governments with the task of See also:collecting the various proposals to be submitted to the Conference, of ascertaining what subjects are ripe for embodiment in an international regulation, and of preparing a programme which the governments should decide upon in sufficient time to enable it to be carefully examined by the countries interested," and that this committee should further be entrusted with the task of proposing a See also:system of organization and See also:procedure for the Conference itself. (T. Additional information and CommentsThere are no comments yet for this article.
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