'League of Nations, Conference for the Supervision of the International Trade in Arms and Ammunition and in Implements of War, Geneva, 17th June 1925' [‎56v] (119/138)

Preliminary
definition of the
special zones.
French doubts
as to the neces
sity for special
Special
difficulties:
1. Abyssinia's
demand for
exclusion.
the sessions of the Temporary Mixed Commission, that Persia should not be-
included against her will in the u prohibited zones." His demand, based
though it is on a wholly erroneous appreciation of the purpose of the-
"prohibited zones" and of the effect of the regime therefor, was warmly
supported by the Turkish and Chinese delegates, who spoke as champions of
the cause of full recognition of the sovereignty of Asiatic States.
71. Again, on 12th May, the Evince took the opportunity afforded by
the President's announcement of the task entrusted to the Geographical
Committee to move formally that the General Committee should at once
decide the question of principle, whether a sovereign and independent
State, Member of the League, can be placed in the special zone created by
and for the Arms Traffic Convention without its prior consent. For this
motion he had sought and obtained the support of the Greek delegate
(M. Dendramis), who had hardly appreciated its portent. A discussion of it
at this stage in the General Committee would have raised inconvenient,
issues; and Sir P. Cox, after consultation with Lord Onslow, urged
privately upon the Persian delegate that he would do well to postpone
his motion until at any rate the Geographical Committee had presented its
report, which might be of a nature to render his motion unnecessary.
Prince Arfa-ed-dowleh readily fell in with this suggestion when it was
explained to him that the British Government was prepared to support
Persia's demand for exclusion from the special zone in return for an
undertaking by her Government to co-operate in the suppression of illicit
arms traffic, and that discussion of an arrangement of this nature was already
proceeding in Tehran.
72. That the apprehensions of difficulties likely to arise if Prince
Arfa-ed-.Dowleh had pressed his motion in the General Committee were
justified, was seen when, in the first meeting of the Geographical Committee,
the Abyssinian delegate opened the proceedings with a statement in regard
to the sovereignty and equal rights of his country, obviously paving the way
for a demand, when the time came, for exclusion from the special zones
should they include Abyssinia.
73. The Geographical Committee, as a first step, ^ appointed a Sub-
Committee to frame a definition of the special zone. This Sub-Committee,'"*
appointed on 13th May, did not complete its difficult and invidious task
till 26th May, when it presented, as a basis merely for discussion, a
recommendation that the zones should comprise :—
(1) The whole of the Continent of Africa with the exception of Egypt,.
Lybia, Tunisia, Algeria, Spanish territory in North Africa, the Union of
South Africa,J and Southern Rhodesia ; islands neighbour to Africa within
nautical miles of the coast, and also the islands of
Principe, St. Thomas, Annobon, and Socotra.
(2) The Arabian peninsula, Gwadur, Syria, and Lebanon, Palestine,,
Transjordan Used in three contexts: the geographical region to the east of the River Jordan (literally ‘across the River Jordan’); a British protectorate (1921-46); an independent political entity (1946-49) now known as Jordan and Iraq.
(3) A maritime zone consisting of
The blank spaces in paras. (1) and (3) were left in order that the Military,.
Naval, and Air Committee might make proposals in the first instance, from
the technical point of view.
M. Clauzel stated at the outset that the French delegation had considerable-
doubts as to the necessity of any special zones, especially of a maritime zone,
but had, against their better judgment, suppressed these doubts in deference
to the view of the majority. This first difficulty that had faced the bub-
Committee had thus been evaded for the moment; but it was soon evident
that the Geographical Committee had other serious fences to negotiate.
74. The question of Abyssinia's inclusion in' the land zone first engaged
attention. Though this is a matter not of direct concern to India, its
* Representatives of the British Empire (Lord Onslow), France, Italy, Turkey, and China,
with M. de Palacios (Spain) as President. „ , _ . ,
t Including Sonth-West Africa, mandated territory. The claim of the Lmon Government
that this territory, being under a (J mandate, should be treated as part of the Union and
excluded from the special zone, caused a long and close argument between the British ana
Portuguese delegates, the latter fearing lest illicit traffic with Angola should be tacilitatea.
Eventually Lord Onslow won his point, M. Ferreira professing to be satisfied by the Union
Government's assurances as to its internal arrangements for the control of arms traflic m Union
territory.