Doc. No. 19 (E).
Memorandum on the Provision of the Peace Treaty Under Which the Italian Government Undertakes To Cooperate With the French Government in the Establishment of a Railway Connection Between Briançon and Modane (Art. 8)
Article 8
Under the second paragraph of Article 8, the Italian Government undertakes to authorise, free of customs duty and inspection, passport and other such formalities, the passenger and freight railway traffic passing through Italian territory, on the connection to be established between Modane and Briançon. There is reason to believe that this clause of the draft Peace Treaty is intended to cover the transport of passengers and luggage in sealed cars under escort over the Italian section of this line, and to the transport of merchandise in sealed trucks. It is, however, desirable that the Treaty should make provisions for subsequent agreements between both Governments, in order to determine between them the transit formalities, which should be simplified as far as possible.
Moreover the words “and other such formalities” should be deleted, as the formalities in question should be determined by direct agreement between the countries concerned. Lastly, we propose the insertion in the Treaty of a clause corresponding to the second paragraph of Article 2 for the Coni-Ventimiglia line, a section of which is situated on French territory, and which may be compared with the Briançon-Modane line. The clause to be added might read as follows: “The same treatment shall be extended to Italian passenger and freight traffic passing over the French section of the Coni-Ventimiglia line from one point in Italy to another point in Italy, in either direction.”