Armament > Conference for the control of the international trade in arms, munitions and implements of war

Document 17.
NOTE BY THE LEGAL SECTION OF THE SECRETARIAT ON THE
DRAFT CONVENTION CONCERNING THE TRADE IN ARMS
AND MUNITIONS DRAWN UP BY THE FIRST SUB¬
COMMISSION OF THE TEMPORARY MIXED COMMISSION
(JUNE 16th, 1924).
Ihe task entrusted to the Legal Section of the Secretariat by the First Sub-Commission of
tiic temporary Mixed Commission is connected with the draft Convention (Document 12) on the
rn^T m Arms whlch was drawn UP by that Sub-Commission during its session in Paris in March
Sub'Commission had requested that the Legal Section should examine the drafting
referredto efttl0n ^ & Wh°le ^ ^ ^ substance of certain provisions which had been specially
The provisions in question are as follows:
(1) The Preamble to the Convention;
(2) Article 3;
(3) Article 27;
(4) Article 28 ;
(5) Article 29.
In the notes which follow, the Legal Section has taken the different parts of the Convention
n question m the order m which they stand, as it felt that the task entrusted to it would be
most satisfactorily accomplished in this way.
^ AAt its fourteenth session, the Permanent Advisory Commission proposed (Document 13)
An .T 1 TCatl(Jnc *n- ^ text drawn UP by tbe First Sub-Commission. As it was this text
'yuch the Legal Section had been asked to report, the latter thought best to confine its efforts
t0 .examinmg and considering the wording of the First Sub-Commission’s
a , •' 5 begal Section, nevertheless, has taken into account the proposal of the Permanent
Advisory Commission so far as, in matters of detail, they are compatible with the substance of
in+Vfu ^ubmitted for lts consideration. For the same reasons, the Legal Section had not gone
o the technical provisions drawn up by the Permanent Advisory Commission (Articles 1 and
11 to 25b in pursuance of the request which had been made to that body by the Temporary Mixed
ommission iere are, in addition, certain special points which were referred to the Legal
^ection by the Permanent Advisory Commission. As the consideration of these points was
s e or y a different authority, it will be dealt with in a separate report (Document 18).
The Legal Section draws attention to the desirability of establishing a completely uniform
terminology m the use of the expressions “arms”, “munitions”, “ammunition”, and so on, in
t le hiench text as well as in the English, in all the articles of the Convention.
Ihe Preamble to the Convention1.
I he Legal Section ventures to submit the following observations:
{a) It would perhaps be better to combine the two paragraphs of the Preamble in order
to empnasise the connection existing between the ideas which they respectively express.
(6) Some drafting alterations appear to be called for in the fourth paragraph.
this paragraph is based on the English text which was proposed by Colonel Lowe, and
which reads as follows: J
Whereas it is necessary to exercise a general supervision over the trade in arms
and ammunition, with the object of securing the fullest possible publicity in regard to such
trade, thereby drawing attention to the danger of the accumulation, in peace-time of
stocks of munitions.”
Wts perhaps desirable, and will make for greater clearness, to divide the draft Convention into chapters
eaen bearing a title, as was done in the Convention of Germain. These titles might be decided on when the text
Measures ^ ^^ f°rrn' If thiS course is f°novcd. Articles 26 to 35 might be grouped under the title "General