File No. 16017.
Mr. Secretary of State: I have the honor to
inclose herewith a copy of note No. 972 of the Colombian minister of
foreign relations under date of August 25 last, in compliance with
instructions received from said minister.
[Inclosure—Translation.]
The Colombian Minister of
Foreign Relations to the Colombian
Minister at Washington.
Foreign Office,
Bogota, August 25,
1908.
The National Legislative Assembly gave its approval to the following
international agreements during its last session:
The boundary treaty between Colombia and Ecuador, signed at Bogota on
May 24 last by Messrs. Batencourt and Adrade.
The agreement regarding the execution of civil judgments concluded
between Colombia and Spain by the minister of the Republic at Madrid
and the minister of state of His Catholic Majesty.
The convention between Colombia and Ecuador as an addition to the
boundary treaty.
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The convention revising the additional convention to the concordat
concluded between the minister of foreign relations and the
apostolic delegate and relative to the carrying out of article 25 of
the concordat.
The treaty of amity and commerce concluded by you with Japan.
The treaty of amity and commerce with Switzerland concluded with the
minister of foreign relations of that country by the Colombian
minister, Mr. Quijano Wallis.
The convention regarding industrial property concluded with Great
Britain last year.
The Washington Sanitary Convention, to which the Republic of Colombia
adhered.
The convention regarding naturalized foreigners who renew their
residence in the country of their origin concluded at the Mexican
conference.
The convention for the submission of pecuniary claims to arbitration
subscribed at Rio de Janeiro.
The treaty signed at Mexico on the same subject, and the convention
on the exchange of official publications, also signed at Mexico.
As you will see, there appear among these agreements several of the
conventions signed at the Pan American Congress of Mexico and two of
those signed at the Pan American Congress at Rio de Janeiro. The
latter two are those which determine the status of naturalized
foreigners who return to the country of their origin and the one
submitting pecuniary claims to arbitration. The convention on
international law had already been ratified by the Government, and
as regards the convention on patents, drawings, etc., the Government
thought it more suitable to take it under further consideration. It
is to be presumed that the American Government thought the same way,
since the last congress did not ratify this convention as it did the
rest.
I would beg of you to make the contents of this communication known
officially to the Secretary of State of the United States and to the
Director of the Bureau of American Republics.
With the highest regards, I am,
Your most obedient servant,