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[1] [p4] On February 4th, 1928,
the President of the Mixed Commission for the Exchange of Greek and Turkish
Populations sent to the Secretary-General of the League of Nations a letter
to the following effect [FN1]:
"In letters dated February 17th, 1927, the Presidents of the Turkish and
Greek delegations communicated to the Mixed Commission the text of an
agreement concluded on December 1st, 1926, between Turkey and Greece for the
purpose, as expressed in the Preamble, of 'facilitating the application of
'certain provisions of the Treaty of Peace of Lausanne and of 'Declaration
IX annexed thereto'. [p5]
Under Article 14 of this Agreement, the application of these provisions was
entrusted to the Mixed Commission, which, by a decision reached on March
19th, 1927, accepted this duty.
To the Athens Agreement there is annexed a 'Final Protocol' bearing the same
date, and containing the following clause:
Article IV. - 'Any questions of principle of importance which may arise in
the Mixed Commission in connection with the new duties entrusted to it by
the Agreement signed this day and which, when that Agreement was concluded,
it was not already discharging in virtue of previous instruments defining
its powers, shall be submitted to the President of the Greco-Turkish
Arbitral Tribunal sitting at Constantinople for arbitration. The
arbitrator's awards shall be binding.'
As this clause has given rise to differences of interpretation regarding the
conditions for appeals to the arbitrator, the Mixed Commission accepted the
suggestions put forward in the report submitted by Viscount Ishii to the
Council of the League of Nations and adopted by the latter on October 31st,
1924, and decided, at its meetings on December 22nd, 1927, and January 26th,
1928, to apply to the Permanent Court of International Justice at The Hague,
through the agency of the League of Nations, for an advisory opinion as to
the interpretation of the article in question so far as it concerns the
conditions for appeals to the arbitrator.
I have the honour to inform you of the foregoing, and should be greatly
obliged if you would place this dispute before the Court by whatever
procedure you think proper.
I am sending at the same time the minutes of the meeting of March 19th,
1927, containing the text of the Agreement and its annexes, together with
copies of the minutes of the meetings at which the question was debated and
the various opinions expressed. The Mixed Commission will have pleasure in
furnishing the Court with any information it may require."
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[FN1] Translation by the Secretariat of the League of Nations.
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[2] On June 5th, 1928, the Council of the League of Nations adopted the
following Resolution:
"Referring to the letter addressed to the Secretary-General of the League of
Nations on February 4th, 1928, by the President of the Mixed Commission for
the Exchange of Greek and Turkish Populations,
The Council of the League of Nations requests the Permanent Court of
International Justice to give an advisory opinion upon the question raised
in the said [p6] letter as to the interpretation of Article IV of the Final
Protocol of the Greco-Turkish Agreement of December 1st, 1926, in regard to
the conditions of reference to the arbitrator contemplated by that article
The article is as follows:
'Les questions de principe pr�sentant quelque importance et qui pourraient
surgir au sein de la Commission mixte � l'occasion des attributions
nouvelles que lui conf�re L'Accord sign� ce jour et qu'elle n'avait pas � la
conclusion de ce dernier sur la base des actes ant�rieurs fixant sa
comp�tence, seront soumises � l'arbitrage du pr�sident du Tribunal arbitral
gr�co-turc, si�geant � Constantinople. Les sentences de l'arbitre seront
obligatoires.'
The Council invites the Hellenic and Turkish Governments and the Mixed
Commission to be at the disposal of the Court for the purpose of furnishing
it with any necessary documents and explanations.
The Secretary-General is authorized to submit the present request to the
Court, together with all the relevant documents, to explain to the Court the
action taken by the Council in the matter, to give any assistance required
in the examination of the case, and, if desirable, to take measures to be
represented before the Court."
[3] In pursuance of this Resolution, the Secretary-General of the League of
Nations, on June 7th, 1928, submitted to the Court a Request for an advisory
opinion in the following terms:
"The Secretary-General of the League of Nations,
in pursuance of the Council Resolution of June 5th, 1928, and in virtue of
the authorization given by the Council,
has the honour to submit to the Permanent Court of International Justice an
application requesting the Court, . in accordance with Article 14 of the
Covenant, to give an advisory opinion to the Council on the question which
is referred to the Court by the Resolution of June 5th, 1928.
The Secretary-General will be prepared to furnish any assistance which the
Court may require in the examination of this matter, and will, if necessary,
arrange to be represented before the Court.
[4] In conformity with Article 73, paragraph 1, of the Rules of Court, the
Request was communicated to Members of the League of Nations and to States
entitled to appear before the [p7] Court. The Registrar further sent to the
Governments of the Greek and Turkish Republics, which were regarded by the
Court as likely - in accordance with the terms of Article 73, paragraph 2,
of the Rules - to be able to furnish information on the question upon which
the Court's opinion was asked, a special and direct communication informing
them that the Court was prepared to receive from them written statements
and, if necessary, to hear oral statements made on their behalf at a public
hearing to be held for the purpose. Lastly, the Registrar requested the
Secretary-General of the League of Nations to give notice to the Mixed
Commission for the Exchange of Greek and Turkish Populations of the Request
for an advisory opinion filed with the Court. The Mixed Commission was also
to be informed of the fact that the Governments of the Greek and Turkish
Republics had been notified that the Court was prepared to receive from them
written statements in regard to this Request.
[5] By means of an Order made on June 12th, 1928, the President of the Court
fixed July 10th, 1928, as the date by which the written statements of the
Greek and Turkish Governments were to be filed with the Registry of the
Court. On that date, the two Governments had in fact deposited their written
statements with the Registry.
[6] The Mixed Commission for the Exchange of Greek and Turkish Populations
informed the Registrar that it would be represented before the Court by its
President, if the Court saw fit to hear its views; the Court, however, did
not consider it necessary to summon the Commission's representative.
[7] The Court, in the course of public sittings held on August 6th and 7th,
1928, heard oral arguments by M. D. Drossos, Head of Department at the Greek
Ministry for Foreign Affairs, on behalf of the Government of the Greek
Republic, and by Djemal Husni Bey, President of the Turkish delegation to
the Mixed Commission for the Exchange of Greek and Turkish Populations, on
behalf of the Government of the Turkish Republic.
[8] On this occasion the Court sat as normally composed. The Court, in view
of the fact that neither of the interested Governments had a judge of its
nationality upon the bench and [p8] that the question constituted an
existing dispute between two States, under the terms of Article 71 of the
Rules, had in fact informed the Parties to this dispute, that is to say, the
Governments of Angora and Athens, of their .right, under Article 31 of the
Statute, each to appoint a judge of their nationality to sit in the case;
the two Governments, however, informed the Court that they waived this
right.
[9] In addition to the statements of the said Governments, the Court has had
before it documents communicated by the Secretary-General of the League of
Nations (see list of documents in the annex).
* * *
I.
[10] The Court considers that it should in the first place outline the
circumstances in which the Council was led to submit to. it the Request for
an advisory opinion in question.
[11] In accordance with the provisions of the Treaty of Peace of Lausanne of
July 24th, 1923, a mixed arbitral tribunal was constituted between Greece
and Turkey sitting at Constantinople. The powers of this tribunal are
defined more particularly in Article 65, and also in Articles 66, 70, 75,
77, 78, 81 and 89 of the Treaty of Lausanne. They include amongst other
things power to deal with all disputes relating to the identity or the
restitution of property, rights and interests which, under the terms of the
Treaty, are to be restored to those concerned, as also with claims designed
to obtain an addition to the proceeds of liquidation in cases where the
property, rights and interests in question have been liquidated.
[12] Furthermore, the Convention for the Exchange of Greek and Turkish
Populations, signed at Lausanne on January 30th, 1923, established the Mixed
Commission for the Exchange of Greek and Turkish Populations, of which the
duties and powers should at this point be described.
[13] According to Article 12 of this Convention, the Mixed Commission's
duties were to be to supervise and facilitate the [p9] emigration provided
for in the Convention and to carry out the liquidation of certain categories
of movable and immovable property. Paragraphs 3 to 5 of Article 12 define as
follows the powers vested in the Commission from the outset:
"In a general way the Mixed Commission shall have full power to take the
measures necessitated by the execution of the present Convention and to
decide all questions to which this Convention may give rise.
The decisions of the Mixed Commission shall be taken by a majority.
All disputes relating to property, rights and interests which are to be
liquidated shall be settled definitely by the Commission."
[14] Under the Declaration (No. IX) relating to Moslem properties in Greece,
signed at Lausanne on July 24th, 1923, the Mixed Commission subsequently
received certain further powers.
[15] Finally, the Greek Republic and the Turkish Republic concluded at
Athens on December 1st, 1926, an Agreement the object of which, as defined
in the Preamble, is to settle difficulties which had arisen in regard to the
application of certain clauses of the Peace Treaty of Lausanne of July 24th,
1923, and of the Declaration (No. IX) relating to Moslem properties in
Greece, which was annexed to that Peace Treaty. The Agreement provided for
the bestowal of further new powers upon the Mixed Commission for the
Exchange of Greek and Turkish Populations. These powers are defined more
especially in Articles 6, 7, 12 and 13 of the Agreement of Athens; Article
14 of the Agreement lays down in a general way in paragraph 1 that:
"La Commission mixte d'�change des populations grecques et turques sera
charg�e de l'application du pr�sent Accord."
[Translation by the Registry.]
"The Mixed Commission for the Exchange of Greek and Turkish Populations
shall be entrusted with the application of the present Agreement."
[16] The provisions of this Agreement were supplemented by a Final Protocol
which was signed at Athens the same day [p10] and which forms an integral
part of the Agreement itself. Article IV of the Final Protocol, which
article expressly refers to the new powers of the Mixed Commission, is
reproduced in the Resolution of the Council of the League of Nations set out
above.
[17] The Agreement of Athens and the Final Protocol were ratified and came
into force on March 6th, 1927.
[18] By a decision taken at its meeting of March 27th, 1927, the Mixed
Commission accepted the new mission entrusted to it, under the terms both of
the Agreement of Athens itself and of the Final Protocol annexed thereto.
* * *
[19] The differences of interpretation regarding the conditions of reference
("conditions for appeals") to the arbitrator provided for in Article IV of
the Final Protocol, mentioned in the letter of February 4th, 1928
(reproduced above), from the President of the Mixed Commission to the
Secretary-General of the League of Nations, became apparent more especially
at the full meeting held by the Commission on September 15th, 1927. The
Greek and Turkish members of the Mixed Commission having taken up different
standpoints in regard to the wording of the communications in which the
Commission was to state the names of persons allowed to benefit by the
Agreement of Athens, the Greek members had, at a previous-meeting, on June
27th, 1927, suggested that the dispute should be settled by arbitration.
[20] The President of the Mixed Commission asked the Commission first of all
to decide whether, under the Final Protocol annexed to the Agreement of
Athens, the dispute which had arisen constituted a question of principle of
some importance arising in connection with the new duties of the Commission;
whereupon the Greek members expressed the opinion that the two States which
had signed the Agreement and Protocol were alone entitled to appeal to the
arbitrator, to whom, in the case in point, the Greek Government had,
moreover, already referred the matter; on the other hand, the Turkish
members held that reference to the arbitrator without a. decision of the
Mixed Commission would be contrary to the [p11] agreements in force. The
question of the conditions governing the reference to arbitration provided
for by Article IV of the Final Protocol subsequently formed the subject of
further discussion at meetings held by the Commission on December12th, 20th
and 22nd, 1927. At the last of these meetings, the Mixed Commission decided
by a majority to ask the Council of the League of Nations to request the
Permanent Court of International Justice for an advisory opinion.
[21] The terms of the questions to be submitted, through the Council of the
League of Nations, to the Court for advisory opinion were considered more
particularly at the meeting held on December 22nd, 1927. On that occasion
the Commission had before it, in the first place, a draft questionnaire
prepared by one of the neutral members of the Commission - which was taken
as the basis of subsequent discussions - and in the second place a draft
questionnaire submitted on behalf of the Turkish members.
[22] The Greek members, for their part, submitted some modifications of the
questionnaire which was taken as a basis of discussion, though at the same
time they observed that they would prefer to leave the Court free to deal
with the problem as it thought best, and accordingly to submit the dispute
to it in the simplest terms.
[23] The President of the Mixed Commission stated, in" regard to this
proposal by the Greek members, that he saw no objection to simplifying the
questionnaire, and he submitted to the Commission a formula, the adoption of
which, in a slightly amended form, was proposed by the Greek members.
[24] When making this proposal, they said that "the chief question which
arose was whether each of the States which had signed the Agreement of
Athens was entitled to exercise the right of recourse provided for by that
Agreement unilaterally and without any previous decision having been taken
by the Mixed Commission, or whether, on the contrary, it rested with the
Mixed Commission first of all to satisfy itself whether the conditions for
such a recourse, as laid down in Article IV of the Final Protocol, were or
were not fulfilled".
[25] In the course of the discussion, the Turkish members of the Commission
pointed out on their side that "the chief question which arose was whether
the right of recourse to the [p12] arbitrator should be subordinated to a
decision of the Mixed Commission, or whether the right of recourse to the
arbitrator belonged to each of the two delegations, Turkish and Greek (i.e.
to the members of the Mixed Commission) independently of any previous
decision by the Mixed Commission".
[26] The subsequent proceedings in the Commission showed that there was a
tendency to draw up the question for submission to the Court in general
terms and in a simplified form.
[27] The Commission in fact thought that the minutes of its meetings at
which the question had been argued would sufficiently indicate the doubts
which had arisen within it regarding the application of Article IV of the
Final Protocol. And the Commission finally decided accordingly.
* * *
[28] The Mixed Commission having decided by a majority to ask the Council of
the League of Nations to request the Permanent Court of International
Justice for an advisory opinion, the terms of the request to be addressed
with this object to the Secretary-General of the League of Nations were
drawn up on February 1st, 1928.
[29] Upon receiving the request of the Mixed Commission, the Council decided
at its meeting on March 5th, 1928, to approach, before including the
question upon its agenda, the Governments of the Greek and Turkish Republics
in order to ascertain whether they were prepared to give their consent to
the submission of the question raised by the Mixed Commission to the Court
for an advisory opinion.
[30] In reply, the Greek Government, in a letter dated March 8th, 1928,
stated that it consented to the proposed procedure; a similar reply was
given by a letter dated May 5th, 1928, on behalf of the Government of the
Turkish Republic.
[31] The Council's Resolution of June 5th, 1928, asking the Court to give an
advisory opinion on the question raised in the letter of the President of
the Mixed Commission of February 4th, 1928, was adopted in- the presence of
the representatives of the two Governments. [p13]
* * *
[32] The representatives of the two Governments regarded as likely to be
able to furnish information on the question contemplated by the Resolution
of the Council of the League of Nations, have expounded the submissions of
their Governments in the course of their written and oral statements. The
Court considers it well to recall the tenor of these submissions.
[33] In its written Memorial, the Turkish Government submitted that:
"the right to resort to proceedings before the President of the
Greco-Turkish Mixed Arbitral Tribunal provided for in Article IV of the
Final Protocol of the said Agreement
(1) may be exercised by the Mixed Commission as such, that is to say that it
has power to refer a question to the single arbitrator, whilst leaving the
conduct of the proceedings to the interested Parties;
(2) may not be exercised separately or jointly by the two States signatories
of the Agreement except after a vote by the Mixed Commission establishing
that the conditions laid down by Article IV of the Final Protocol are
fulfilled and declaring itself incompetent to deal with the question which
has arisen within it, this decision finally settling the question of
jurisdiction as between the two arbitral bodies and being binding upon the
President of the Greco-Turkish Arbitral Tribunal."
[34] These submissions were confirmed in the oral statement of the
representative of the Turkish Government before the Court.
[35] On the other hand, the submissions of the representative of the Greek
Government are, in his oral statement, summarized as follows:
(1) that the Mixed Commission, as such, has no right to refer a matter to
the arbitrator, since the two contracting Parties have given it no such
right under Article IV of the Final Protocol of the Agreement of Athens
which is purposely silent on the subject. At the utmost, the Commission
might, perhaps, appear;
(2) that neither has the Mixed Commission the right to settle by a
preliminary decision the question, should it arise, of the jurisdiction or
lack of jurisdiction of the arbitrator in each particular case - a question
which must be exclusively [p14] reserved to the arbitrator himself,
according to the basic principles of public international law;
(3) that the two Parties have the right jointly to have recourse to the
arbitrator without such recourse being made subject to a previous decision
of the Mixed Commission to the effect that the conditions laid down by
Article IV of the Final Protocol are fulfilled. If the two Parties do not
succeed in agreeing jointly to refer a matter to the arbitrator, either of
them may do so unilaterally.
* * *
II.
[36] Article 72, paragraph 2, of the Rules of Court, lays down that "the
request shall contain an exact statement of the question upon which an
opinion is required". But the Request transmitted to the Court in pursuance
of the Resolution of the Council of the League of Nations of June 5th, 1928,
simply refers to the letter addressed by the President of the Mixed
Commission for the Exchange of Greek and Turkish Populations on February
4th, 1928, to the Secretary-General of the League of Nations, with a view to
obtaining an advisory opinion from the Permanent Court of International
Justice upon the interpretation of Article IV of the Final Protocol of the
Greco-Turkish Agreement of December 1st, 1926, concerning "the conditions
for appeals to the arbitrator" contemplated in this article. The Court,
however, considers that, as the letter referred to does not exactly state
the question upon which its opinion is sought, it is essential that it
should determine what this question is and formulate an exact statement of
it, in order more particularly to avoid dealing with points of law upon
which it was not the intention of the Council or the Commission to obtain
its opinion. In the present case it is possible for the Court to do this,
owing to the relatively simple nature of the case; this, however, may not
always be so.
[37] In ascertaining the form in which the question which the Mixed
Commission intended to put to the Court may best be expressed, the Court
observes in the first place that it must regard the word "recours" (appeals)
contained in the [p15] expression "conditions du recours � I'arbitre"
(conditions for appeals to the arbitrator) as simply meaning "reference" or
"submission". For since the arbitrator is not in the position of a superior
court placed above the Mixed Commission, there can be no question of an
appeal (recours) in the strict sense of the word.
[38] In the second place, the Court must observe that the conditions for
this reference or submission are clearly defined by the actual terms of
Article IV of the Final Protocol, so that in regard to this point no
difference of opinion can be presumed to exist. According to this article,
in order that a question may be submitted for arbitration to the President
of the Greco-Turkish Mixed Arbitral Tribunal, it is necessary (i) that it
should have arisen within the Mixed Commission; (2) that it should have
arisen in connection with the new duties which were entrusted by the
Agreement of Athens to that Commission and which the latter, when that
Agreement was concluded, was not already discharging in virtue of previous
instruments defining its powers; (3) that it should be a question of
principle, and (4) that it should be of importance. There is no doubt that
only when these four conditions are fulfilled can a matter be referred to
the President of the Greco-Turkish Mixed Arbitral Tribunal.
[39] After having carefully examined the documents attached to the Request
for an opinion, and the written and oral statements submitted to it on
behalf of the Greek and Turkish Governments, the Court has arrived at the
conclusion that the differences of opinion which have resulted in the
request for an opinion relate not to the question what are the conditions to
which the submission of a question to the arbitrator is subject, but to the
question for whom it is to decide whether these conditions are fulfilled and
by whom a question may be referred to him.
[40] In view of this conclusion, and following the precedent afforded by its
Advisory Opinion No. 3 regarding one aspect of the competence of the
International Labour Organization in which the Court had to alter the terms
of the question put in order to be able to reply thereto, the Court
considers that it may express the points on which, in substance, its opinion
is now required, as follows: [p16]
(1) Is it for the Mixed Commission for the Exchange of Greek and Turkish
Populations to decide whether the conditions laid down by Article IV of the
Final Protocol annexed to the Agreement concluded at Athens on December 1st,
1926, between the Greek and Turkish Governments, for the submission of the
questions contemplated by that article to the arbitration of the President
of the Greco-Turkish Mixed Arbitral Tribunal at Constantinople, are or are
not fulfilled ? or is it for the arbitrator contemplated by that article to
decide this ?
(2) The conditions laid down by the said Article IV having been fulfilled,
to whom does the right of referring a question to the arbitrator
contemplated by the article belong ?
[41] By expressing in this form the question contemplated by the letter
addressed on February 4th, 1928, by the President of the Mixed Commission to
the Secretary-General of the League of Nations, the Court is in a position
to reply to the request for an opinion submitted to it, always keeping
within the scope of the question thus formulated. It follows that, in so far
as the points in dispute between the interested Governments fall outside the
scope of the question as set out above, the Court cannot deal with them.
* * *
[42] In order to reply to the question as above formulated, it will be well
first of all to examine the general structure of the Mixed Commission, a
body created more particularly in order to ensure the carrying out of the
Convention for the Exchange of Greek and Turkish Populations concluded at
Lausanne on January 30th, 1923, between Greece and Turkey.
[43] Under Article 11 of this Convention, the Mixed Commission consists of
four members appointed by each of the two contracting States and of three
members chosen by the Council of the League of Nations from among nationals
of Powers which did not take part in the war of 1914-1918. In this
connection the Court considers that it should be noted that the members of
the Commission, including those appointed by the contracting States, take
part in the work of the [p17] Commission in an individual capacity : there
are eleven votes to be reckoned with in the Mixed Commission. In the
extracts from the minutes of full meetings of the Commission concerning
recourse to arbitration, which have been submitted to the Court in the
course of the proceedings, the expressions "Greek delegation" and "Turkish
delegation" are to be found on every page ; and sometimes there are to be
found expressions such as "on behalf of the delegation" and "the delegation
acting on behalf of its Government". All these expressions proceed from a
conception of the legal status of the members of the Mixed Commission which
finds no support in Article 11 of the Convention concerning the exchange of
populations, the article which defines the organization of the Commission.
Failing such support, and having regard to Article 12, paragraph 4, of the
said Convention, according to which "the decisions of the Mixed Commission
shall be taken by a majority", it would seem that all members, neutral
members and Greek and Turkish members alike, are independent and must vote
individually within the Commission. In the minutes are also to be found
traces of a conception closely harmonizing with this interpretation of the
terms of the article. For instance, it is found that in a particular
question, two Turkish members have voted on opposite sides. However that may
be, it was necessary to elucidate this point at the outset, since it has
perhaps in some measure helped to give rise to the question now submitted to
the Court.
[44] Turning now to the duties of the Mixed Commission which are of especial
importance for the solution of the question, the Court makes the following
observations:
1� Article 12 of the Convention, an article already quoted above, lays down
the general rule governing the duties of the Commission : these comprise
mainly the supervision and facilitation of the emigration and the carrying
out of the liquidation of the movable and immovable property contemplated by
Articles 9 and 10 (paragraph 1). It follows that the main functions of the
Mixed Commission are essentially administrative. In addition however to
these functions, the Commission has, first, power to settle the details of
the [p18] rules to be followed in regard to emigration and liquidation
(paragraph 2) and, secondly, power finally to settle all disputes relating
to property, rights and interests to be liquidated (paragraph 5) ;
similarly, it has in a general way full power to take the measures
necessitated by the execution of the Convention and to decide all questions
to which it may give rise (paragraph 3).
The first part of these subsidiary duties, namely, the general measures
which the Mixed Commission is authorized to order, is in the nature of a
regulating or legislative function in the "material" sense of the word;
whereas the second part of these duties undoubtedly constitutes a
jurisdictional or judicial function.
All the duties indicated above are entrusted to the Mixed Commission as the
sole authority for dealing with the exchange of populations, and special
stress should be laid on the fact that these duties have been entrusted to
it with the object amongst others of facilitating this exchange. It follows
that any interpretation or measure capable of impeding the work of the
Commission in this domain must be regarded as contrary to the spirit of the
clauses providing for the creation of this body. The Court has already
adopted this standpoint in its Advisory Opinion № 10.
2� The declaration relating to Moslem properties in Greece signed on July
24th, 1923, by the Greek delegates at the Lausanne Conference (Declaration
No. IX) also confers on the Mixed Commission power to decide certain claims
in regard to the property rights of Moslem persons who are not covered by
the provisions of the Convention concerning the exchange of populations
signed at Lausanne on January 30th, 1923, and who had left Greece before
October 18th, 1912, or had always resided outside Greece. The claims in
question were to be examined at once by the Commission and settled within
one year's time at the most from the coming into force of the said Treaty.
The main importance of this Declaration of July 24th, 1923, from the point
of view of the duties of the Commission with which this opinion deals, is
that it indicates how anxious the two [p19] Governments concerned were to
facilitate the settlement of matters and to accelerate the work of the
Commission.
3� The Agreement of Athens of December 1st, 1926, concluded to regulate the
disposal of certain categories of immovable property, entrusted to the Mixed
Commission new duties in this respect : for it conferred on the Commission
certain jurisdictional powers (Article 6, paragraph 3 ; Article 12,
paragraph 3; Article 13, paragraphs 1 and 3), as well as general powers in
regard to the application of the Agreement (Article 14, paragraph 1). The
questions contemplated by Article IV of the Final Protocol annexed to the
Agreement relate to these new duties of the Commission. In regard to this,
attention should again be paid to the spirit of the Convention the aim of
which, according to the Preamble, is to overcome difficulties in regard to
the application of certain clauses of the Peace Treaty of Lausanne and of
Declaration No. IX annexed thereto, and to facilitate the application of
these clauses. The terms of Article I of the Final Protocol should also be
noted; for that article, which provides for the coming into force of some
articles of the Agreement immediately after its signature and before
ratification, accentuates the urgency attaching to the carrying out of the
provisions of. the Agreement of Athens.
* * *
[45] In the Court's opinion,. the foregoing considerations clearly indicate
the spirit underlying the various international instruments relating to the
exchange of Greek and Turkish populations and defining the role allotted to
the Mixed Commission in the carrying out of the terms of these instruments.
The Court considers that due importance must be attached to this spirit in
order to arrive at a correct interpretation of Article IV of the Final
Protocol annexed to the Agreement of Athens.
[46] For the purposes of this interpretation, it may be well once more to
give in extenso the terms of that article:
"Les questions de principe pr�sentant quelque importance et qui pourraient
surgir au sein de la Commission [p20] mixte � l'occasion des attributions
nouvelles que lui conf�re 1'Accord sign� ce jour et qu'elle n'avait pas � la
conclusion de ce dernier sur la base des actes ant�rieurs fixant sa
comp�tence, seront soumises � l'arbitrage du pr�sident du Tribunal arbitral
gr�co-turc, si�geant � Constantinople. Les sentences de l'arbitre seront
obligatoires."
[Translation by the Registry.]
"Any questions of principle of importance which may arise in the Mixed
Commission in connection with the new duties entrusted to it by the
Agreement signed this day and which, when that Agreement was concluded, it
was not already discharging in virtue of previous instruments defining its .
powers, shall be submitted for arbitration to the President of the
Greco-Turkish Arbitral Tribunal sitting at Constantinople. The arbitrator's
awards shall be binding."
[47] In the eyes of the Court the meaning of this text is clear although, no
doubt, a more satisfactory formula might have been found. It should, in
particular, be noted that the article contains no express provision designed
to settle the question by whom or when the questions with which the
instrument deals may be referred to the President of the Greco-Turkish Mixed
Arbitral Tribunal. But from the very silence of the article on this point,
it is possible and natural to deduce that the power to refer a matter to the
arbitrator rests with the Mixed Commission when that body finds itself
confronted with questions of the nature indicated.
[48] For, according to its very terms, Article IV of the Final Protocol
expressly contemplates questions which may arise within the Mixed
Commission; there can, therefore, be no doubt that only questions arising in
the course of the deliberations of the Commission are contemplated. But,
that being so, it is clear - having regard amongst other things to the
principle that, as a general rule, any body possessing jurisdictional powers
has the right in the first place itself to determine the extent of its
jurisdiction - that questions affecting the extent of the jurisdiction of
the Mixed Commission must be settled by the Commission itself without action
by any other body being necessary.
[49] Article IV of the Final Protocol lays down that in the case of
questions of principle of some importance arising in connection [p21] with
the new duties which were entrusted to the Commission by the Agreement of
Athens, and which, when that Agreement was concluded, it was not already
discharging in virtue of previous instruments defining its powers, such
questions shall be submitted to the President of the Greco-Turkish Mixed
Arbitral Tribunal for decision, and are not, therefore, to be settled by the
Commission itself. Thus, Article IV of the Final Protocol provides for the
special reference of questions of principle of some importance to a tribunal
other than the Mixed Commission and one which is regarded as better
qualified than the latter to decide upon the merits of such questions of
principle.' That is the whole import of Article IV, and its scope is
precisely this and no more.
[50] According to the interpretation given above of Article IV of the Final
Protocol, the right of reference can, however, only belong to the Mixed
Commission; for it is a matter of determining the extent of its own
competence. It follows logically that the Mixed Commission itself must also
decide whether the various conditions required to make such reference
possible are fulfilled; and it is simply necessary to add that, whatever the
legal nature of these conditions may be, their appreciation and the decision
whether they are duly fulfilled, both of which are left to the absolute
discretion of the Commission, undoubtedly fall within the category of
questions naturally arising in the course of the Commission's deliberations.
[51] In this connection it should be observed that the question whether a
given matter is one of principle, and especially whether it is of some
importance, is essentially a question of appreciation, and that it must
therefore, in the nature of things, be left to the decision of the Mixed
Commission itself, which, being acquainted with the many and various matters
coming before it, is alone in a position to say whether a given question
does or does not fulfil the conditions mentioned in Article IV. This being
so, if the Commission, after having freely considered the matter, comes to
the conclusion that the question at issue is not of the nature contemplated
by Article IV of the Final Protocol, it [p22] must itself decide that
question; only if the Commission considers that the requisite conditions for
the reference of the question to the arbitrator are present is it the duty
of that body to refer it to him. This would only not hold good if the
article contained a provision imposing this duty, for instance, on the
States which signed the Final Protocol, on the individual members of the
Commission, or on a group of such members, or a provision authorizing them
to refer a matter to the arbitrator. But no such provision is to be found in
the article.
[52] The decision as to the presence of the conditions required for the
reference of a given question to the arbitrator must be taken by the Mixed
Commission, which must apply the general rule governing the performance of
its duties; if consequently there exists between the members of the
Com-mission a difference of opinion as to whether these conditions have or
have not been fulfilled, the Commission is to decide this point and the
question whether it will refer the matter to the President of the
Greco-Turkish Mixed Arbitral Tribunal, by a majority vote. As regards the
arbitrator, once he is satisfied that a question submitted to him has been
referred to him by a decision of the Mixed Com-mission, he must decide this
question and he may not revert to a consideration of the question of the
presence of the conditions required by Article IV of the Final Protocol.
This appears from the actual terms of the article, which provides for two
clearly differentiated jurisdictions, one to decide whether the conditions
required for the reference to the arbitrator of a question of principle of
some importance are or are not fulfilled, the other to give judgment on this
question of principle on its merits, once it has been established that the
required conditions are fulfilled. Accordingly, the Court considers that a
negative conflict of jurisdiction cannot arise between the Mixed Commission
and the arbitrator.
[53] According to the terms of Article IV of the Final Protocol, the
questions of principle contemplated shall be submitted to the President of
the Greco-Turkish Mixed Arbitral Tribunal "for arbitration". The Court
attributes no special importance to the use of the word "arbitration" in the
article, but [p23] it considers it not a very happy way of expressing the
idea underlying the article. For in any event there can be no question of an
arbitration except in the broadest sense of the expression, as the
characteristics of arbitration properly so called are certainly not present
in this case. In the first place, there are no Parties to bring their
dispute before the tribunal, seeing that, as has been explained above, the
Commission is composed of individual members and not of two delegations
representing the contracting States between which the three neutral members
must arbitrate ; the reference to the arbitrator of questions of principle
of importance which arise within the Commission is not confined to the case
where there is a difference of opinion amongst the members of the
Commission; for though it is true that as a general rule the reference of a
question to the arbitrator will doubtless result from such difference of
opinion, it is also true that such reference may be decided upon, even if
all members of the Commission are agreed as to the solution which, in their
opinion, should be given to the question of principle which has arisen.
[54] The Greek Government has sought to show that Article IV of the Final
Protocol constitutes an arbitration clause and that such a clause inserted
in an international convention always implies an arbitral tribunal to which,
unless expressly provided otherwise, only States themselves may refer a
matter and before which they alone may appear as Parties. The conclusion
would be correct if the premise were so; but the Court cannot accept the
Greek Government's view in this respect. Not only have the terms used in
Article IV nothing in common with those of arbitration clauses properly so
called, but also all that has been stated above in regard to the conditions
in which questions of the kind under consideration may arise, and in regard
to the fact that the duty of applying the treaty provisions is reserved to
the Mixed Commission, is foreign to the nature of an arbitration between
States concerning disputes which may arise between them regarding the manner
in which each of them applies a treaty provision. Except for the word
"arbitration" to which, for the reasons already given, no decisive
importance is to be attached, there [p24] is nothing in the text of Article
IV which justifies its consideration as an arbitration clause.
[55] The Court has already indicated the spirit underlying all the
international instruments concerning the exchange of Greek and Turkish
populations, including the Final Protocol of the Agreement of Athens of
December 1st, 1926; it now observes that Article IV of this Protocol is
undoubtedly itself framed in the same spirit. It follows, in the opinion of
the Court, that the restriction placed by that article on the general powers
of the Mixed Commission cannot constitute an impediment to the fulfilment by
the latter of the important duties assigned to it, but must be construed in
such a way as to accelerate and facilitate the progress made by that body
with its work. Speed must be regarded as an essential factor in the work of
the Mixed Commission, both in the interest of the populations with which its
work is concerned and in that of the Greek and Turkish Governments.
[56] Now, as the Mixed Commission is mainly an administrative body, its
members are not necessarily in the first place jurists; although, as
indicated above, it exercises a somewhat wide measure of jurisdictional
powers, it is not necessarily the most suitable body for the settlement of
legal questions of principle of some importance. This is undoubtedly why the
Final Protocol deprives the Commission of power to decide such questions and
confers such power upon the President of the Greco-Turkish Mixed Arbitral
Tribunal. It is possible that the Final Protocol was also inspired by the
following consideration : the Greco-Turkish Mixed Arbitral Tribunal being
the tribunal generally possessing jurisdiction in matters of liquidation, it
would be possible, by giving the President of that Tribunal power to decide
questions of principle of importance which may arise within the Mixed
Commission, to secure a measure of consistency as between the decisions of
the Mixed Commission, which, as has been seen, is also competent to some
extent in matters of liquidation, and those of the Greco-Turkish Mixed
Arbitral Tribunal. [p25]
[57] On the basis of the foregoing considerations, the Court feels obliged
to observe that it is wrong to seek to attribute either to one of the
members or to a group of Greek or Turkish members of the Mixed Commission,
or again to one of the States signatories of the Final Protocol, the right
to refer a question to the arbitrator, with a view to obtaining from him a
decision, at all events as to whether a given question is to be regarded as
a question of principle of some importance. Such a contention in fact is
incompatible not only with the terms of Article IV of the Final Protocol,
but also with the spirit which, as has been already pointed out, underlies
all the relevant international instruments.
[58] Even leaving aside considerations based on the spirit of these
international instruments, the same result is arrived at, for an individual
member or a group among the Greek or Turkish members within the Commission
has no power to take action outside the Commission, and the same applies as
regards the neutral members. This would still hold good even if all the
Greek or all the Turkish members of the Commission could be regarded as
constituting governmental delegations within it, a conception which has
however already been rejected by the Court; for to accord to individual
members of an organization constituted as a corporate body any right to take
action of any kind outside the sphere of proceedings within that
organization, would be clearly contrary to an accepted principle of law. In
the absence of an express provision, therefore, it is impossible to accept
such an abnormal state of things.
[59] In this connection, another observation of some importance should be
made: the situation of the States signatory to the Final Protocol is
altogether singular as regards matters concerning the exchange of Greek and
Turkish populations; this singularity obviously arises from the special
nature of the Convention of Lausanne concerning the exchange of populations,
as well as of Declaration No. IX of Lausanne and the Agreement of Athens.
For, according to the provisions of these instruments, it does not rest with
the contracting States themselves to apply and carry out, each for its own
part and in the exercise of its sovereign rights, the clauses governing
[p26] the matter in question; the application and carrying out of these
clauses are entrusted as a whole to the Mixed Commission which acts in the
interests of the two contracting States. In so doing it is incumbent upon it
to endeavour to ensure that the application and carrying out shall be as
speedy and regular as possible. It is only within the Mixed Commission that
a difference of opinion can arise, between the members of that body, as to
the interpretation of the provisions of the Convention and Agreement which
it is its duty to apply and carry out, a difference of opinion which,
according to the rules governing the work of the Commission, must be settled
by a majority of votes, neither of the contracting States having the right
to intervene as such in the work of the Commission. But. the application of
Article IV of the Final Protocol of the Agreement of Athens is simply
tantamount to the application by the Mixed Commission itself of a provision
governing its work.
[60] If, on the contrary, the right to refer a question to the arbitrator
were to be attributed either to an individual member or to a group amongst
the Greek or Turkish members of the Commission, or lastly to one of the
States signatory to the Final Protocol, it would follow that either of these
States, either directly or through members of the Mixed Commission of its
nationality, could cause to be submitted to the procedure contemplated in
Article IV of the Final Protocol questions, selected according to its
wishes, such as, not being questions of principle and not being of any
importance, should necessarily fall within the immediate jurisdiction of the
Mixed Commission. But the result of this would undoubtedly be, contrary to
the spirit of all the relevant instruments and of the Final Protocol itself,
to impede the progress of the work of the Commission and to cause delays in
the carrying out of the task entrusted to it. [p27]
* * *
[61] FOR THESE REASONS,
The Court, unanimously,
is of opinion
that to the question submitted to it as formulated at the beginning of this
advisory opinion, the following answer should be given:
(1) It is for the Mixed Commission for the Exchange of Greek and Turkish
Populations alone to decide whether the conditions enumerated in Article IV
of the Final Protocol annexed to the Agreement concluded at Athens on
December 1st, 1926, between the Greek and Turkish Governments, for the
submission of the questions contemplated by that article to the President of
the Greco-Turkish Mixed Arbitral Tribunal sitting at Constantinople, for
arbitration, are or are not fulfilled.
(2) The conditions contemplated by the said Article IV having been
fulfilled, the right to refer a question to the arbitrator contemplated by
that article belongs to the Mixed Commission alone.
[62] Done in French and English, the French text being authoritative, at the
Peace Palace, The Hague, this twenty-eighth day of August, nineteen hundred
and twenty-eight, in two copies, one of which is to be deposited in the
archives of the Court, and the other to be forwarded to the Council of the
League of Nations.
(Signed) D. Anzilotti,
President.
(Signed) �. Hammarskj�ld,
Registrar.
[p28] Annex.
I. - DOCUMENTS FORWARDED BY THE SECRETARIAT OF THE LEAGUE OF NATIONS:
Letter from the President of the Mixed Commission to the Secretary-General
of the League of Nations (February 4th, 1928).
Extracts from minutes of the Mixed Commission:
I. - 116th Plenary Meeting (March 19th, 1927).
Annexes:
1. - Letter from the President of the Turkish delegation to the President of
the Mixed Commission (February 17th, 1927).
2. - Letter from the President of the Greek delegation to the President of
the Mixed Commission (February 17th, 1927).
3. - Greco-Turkish Agreement of December 1st, 1926.
4. - List of house property belonging to Greek ressortissants established in
Smyrna, Mersine and Pendik.
5. - Valuation of property.
6. - Final Protocol (December 1st, 1926).
7. - Declaration (December 1st, 1926).
8. - Extract from letter exchanged between M. Argyropoulos and Saradjoglou
Chukri Bey (December 1st, 1926).
9. - Protocol No. I (June 21st, 1925).
10. - � � II ( � � , � ).
11. - Resolution in regard to persons established, to be taken by the Mixed
Commission (June 21st, 1925).
12. - Resolution to be taken by the Mixed Commission concerning Article 16
of the Convention for the exchange of Greek and Turkish populations (June
21st, 1925).
13. - Minutes of signature (June 21st, 1925).
14. - Agreement concerning Turkish property in Greece and Greek property in
Turkey (June 21st, 1925).
15. - Letter from the President of the Turkish delegation to the President
of the Mixed Commission (March 17th, 1927).
15 bis. - Letter from the President of the Greek delegation to the President
of the Mixed Commission (March 17th, 1927).
16. - Resolution by the Plenary Meeting (March 19th, 1927).
17. - Rules concerning the working of valuation committees.
18. - Financial rules for valuation committees.
II. - 137th Plenary Meeting (September 15th, 1927).
III. - 140th ,, ,, (December 1st and 3rd, 1927).
IV. - 141st ,, ,, ( ,, 12th, 1927).
V. - 142nd � � ( � 20th, � ).
VI. - 143rd ,, � ( � 22nd, � ).
VII. - 149th ,, ,, (January 26th, � ).
VIII. - 150th � ,, (February 1st, � ).
Note by the Secretary-General of the League of Nations setting forth the
Council's action in the matter (June 5th, 1928). [p29]
Extracts from the League of Nations Official Journal (April, 1928).
Note by the Secretary-General of the League of Nations (May 15th, 1928).
Letter from the Turkish Minister in Berne to the Secretary-General of the
League of Nations (May 5th, 1928).
Report by M. Adatci to the Council of the League of Nations (June 1st,
1928).
Letter from the Secretary-General of the League of Nations to the Registrar
(June 8th, 1928).
Extract from minutes of the Second (Public) Meeting of, the Fiftieth Session
of the Council (June 5th, 1928).
II. - DOCUMENTS SUBMITTED BY THE TURKISH GOVERNMENT:
Letter of guarantee from the President of the International Financial
Commission in Greece to the Turkish Minister in Athens (February 16th,
1927).
Extract from minutes of the 140th Plenary Meeting of the Mixed Commission,
held at Constantinople on December 1st and 3rd, 1927.
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