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San Remo Conference Resolutions: Syria, Mesopotamia [Iraq], Palestine Mandates

San Remo Conference Resolutions

Syria, Mesopotamia [Iraq], Palestine Mandates

San Remo, 25 April 1920

It was agreed –

(a) To accept the terms of the Mandates Article as given below with reference to Palestine, on the understanding that there was inserted in the procès-verbal an undertaking by the Mandatory Power that this would not involve the surrender of the rights hitherto enjoyed by the non-Jewish communities in Palestine; this undertaking not to refer to the question of the religious protectorate of France, which had been settled earlier in the previous afternoon by the undertaking given by the French Government that they recognized this protectorate as being at an end.

(b) that the terms of the Mandates Article should be as follows:

The High Contracting Parties agree that Syria and Mesopotamia shall, in accordance with the fourth paragraph of Article 22, Part I (Covenant of the League of Nations), be provisionally recognized as independent States, subject to the rendering of administrative advice and assistance by a mandatory until such time as they are able to stand alone. The boundaries of the said States will be determined, and the selection of the Mandatories made, by the Principal Allied Powers.

The High Contracting Parties agree to entrust, by application of the provisions of Article 22, the administration of Palestine, within such boundaries as may be determined by the Principal Allied Powers, to a Mandatory, to be selected by the said Powers. The Mandatory will be responsible for putting into effect the declaration originally made on November 8, 1917, by the British Government, and adopted by the other Allied Powers, in favour of the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.

La Puissance mandataire s’engage à nommer dans le plus bref délai une Commission spéciale pour étudier toute question et toute réclamation concernant les différentes communautés religieuses et en établir le règlement. Il sera tenu compte dans la composition de cette Commission des intérêts religieux en jeu. Le Président de la Commission sera nommé par le Conseil de la Société des Nations. [The Mandatory Power undertakes to appoint as soon as possible a Special Commission to study all questions and claims concerning the various religious communities and to settle them. The composition of the Commission will take into account the religious interests at stake. The President of the Commission shall be appointed by the Council of the League of Nations.]

The terms of the mandates in respect of the above territories will be formulated by the Principal Allied Powers and submitted to the Council of the League of Nations for approval.

Turkey hereby undertakes, in accordance with the provisions of Article [132 of the Treaty of Sevres] to accept any decisions which may be taken in this connection.

(c) Les mandataires choisis par les principales Puissances allies sont: la France pour la Syrie, et la Grand Bretagne pour la Mésopotamie, et la Palestine. [The Mandatories chosen by the principal Allied Powers are: France for Syria, and Great Britain for Mesopotamia, and Palestine.]

In reference to the above decision the Supreme Council took note of the following reservation of the Italian Delegation:

La Délégation Italienne en considération des grands intérêts économiques que l’Italie en tant que puissance exclusivement méditerranéenne possède en Asie Mineure, réserve son approbation à la présente résolution, jusqu’au règlement des intérêts italiens en Turquie d’Asie. [The Italian Delegation, in consideration of the great economic interests which Italy, as an exclusively Mediterranean power, possesses in Asia Minor, reserves its approval to the present resolution until the settlement of Italian interests in Asian Turkey.]

 

Source: https://www.un.org/unispal/document/auto-insert-207297/