Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 56 Part 2.djvu/194

 [56 STAT. TREATIES CONSIDERING: One. That the American Republics have formulated at the Second Consultative Meeting the Act of Habana I'] with regard to the destiny of colonies of non-American countries located in this hemisphere as well as with respect to the provisional administration of such colonies; Two. That as a result of the events which are taking place in the European continent situations may develop in the territories of the possessions which some of the belligerent nations have in the Americas which may extinguish or materially impair the sovereignty which they exercise over them, or leave their government without a leader, thus creating a state of danger to the peace of the continent and a state of affairs in which the rule of law, order, and respect for life, liberty and the property of inhabitants may disappear; Three. That the American Republics consider that force cannot constitute the basis of rights, and they condemn all violence whether under the form of conquest, of stipulations which may have been imposed by the belligerents in the clauses of treaty, or by any other process; Four. That any transfer, or attempted transfer, of the sovereignty, jurisdiction, possession or any interest in or control over any such region to another non-American State, would be regarded by the American Republics as against American sentiments and principles and the rights of American States to maintain their security and political independence; Five. That no such transfer or attempt to transfer or acquire any interest or right in any such region, directly or indirectly, would be recognized or accepted by the American Republics no matter what form was employed to attain such purposes; Six. That by virtue of a principle of American international law, recognized by various conferences, the acquisition of territories by force cannot be permitted; Seven. That the American Republics, through their respective government agencies, reserve the right to judge whether any transfer or attempted transfer of sovereignty, jurisdiction, cession or incorpora- tion of geographic regions in the Americas, possessed by European countries up to September 1, 1939, has the effect of impairing their political independence even though no formal transfer or change in the status of such region or regions shall have taken place; Eight. That in the cases foreseen, as well as any others which might leave the government of such regions without a leader, it is, therefore, necessary to establish a provisional administrative regime for such regions until such time as their definitive regime is established by the free determination of their people; Nine. That the American Republics, as an international community which acts strongly and integrally, using as a basis political and juridical principles which they have applied for more than a century, '[Executive Agreement Series 199; 54 Stat. 2491.1 1274

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