The Secretary of State to Ambassador Riddle.

[Telegram.—Paraphrase.]

(Minister to Brussels, responding to an inquiry made by department, communicates the following note verbale, received from the Belgian Government: “The Government of the King has made known to St. Petersburg that it has no objection that the mode of adhesion proposed by the Russian Government be adopted, since this procedure would appear to meet with the assent of all the contracting States required by article 60 of the convention. In using the wording ‘signatory powers’ in the unofficial note of March 23, it was meant to describe by that the ‘contracting’ powers to the terms of the said article 60. Regarding the special situation of Turkey which signed and did not ratify the convention and to which Russia addressed the circular April 19, 1906, it is supposed that explanations in this respect will ultimately be given. The Imperial Government is alone in a position to reply at the present time to the question. We are not advised in what terms the invitation to take part in new conference has been addressed by it to the Ottoman Government.”

It would appear from this communication that Belgium does not regard Turkey as a validly contracting party to the terms of article 60. The assent of China and Belgium being now given, making the assent of the contracting powers unanimous, the requirements of article 60 are obviously fulfilled. To subordinate those requirements to the additional contingency of Turkey’s ratifying The Hague conventions and effectively becoming a party would introduce a new condition which in turn would require the unanimous consent of all the parties to The Hague conventions and import great uncertainty and delay. The direction is given to impress this view on Russian Government, stating that it is assumed the agreement of the powers to the Russian proposal will be followed forthwith by appropriate notification to the nonsignatories who have been invited.)