THE IBERO-AMERICAN UNION,

CONSISTING OF

ARGENTINA, BOLIVIA, BRAZIL, CHILI, COLOMBIA, COSTARICA, CUBA, ECUADOR, SAN SALVADOR, SPAIN, GUATEMALA, HAITI, HONDURAS, MEXICO, NICARAGUA, PARAGUAY, PERU, PORTUGAL, PUERTO RICO, SANTO DOMINGO, URUGUAY AND VENEZUELA.

ARBITRATION RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED IN THE IBERO-AMERICAN CONGRESS OF MADRID, 18TH NOVEMBER, 1900.

I. In the cause of humanity and the general interests of civilisation, the Congress protests against the entire policy involved in the tendency to settle international conflicts by other means than those that are peaceful and legal.

And it declares that it ardently sympathises with all the efforts which, both in Europe and America, are made by publicists, professors, associations and governments to arrive at the definite establishment of Tribunals of Arbitration, to which may be submitted absolutely all questions which actually exist or which may arise in the future between nations.

II. For the same motives, and, besides, for reasons of race and family (which do not in any way interfere with the closer free and effective intercourse of all the peoples of the world), for well-known historical reasons, and from the peculiarity of the relations actually existing between Spain and Latin America, due chiefly to the constant immigration of Spaniards into the Ibero-American Republics, the Congress proclaims the urgency of establishing, by the action of the governments, a Spanish-American Tribunal of Arbitration to which shall be submitted all questions which may arise between the States which

UNIÓN IBERO-AMERICANA.

COMPRENDIENDO

ARGENTINA, BOLIVIA, BRASIL, CHILE, COLOMBIA, COSTARICA, CUBA, ECUADOR, EL SALVADOR, ESPAÑA, GUATEMALA, HAITI, HONDURAS, MÉXICO, NICARAGUA, PARAGUAY, PERÚ, PORTUGAL, PUERTO RICO, SANTO DOMINGO, URUGUAY Y VENEZUELA.

CONGRESO SOCIAL Y ECONÓMICO HISPANO-AMERICANO
CELEBRADO EN MADRID EN NOVIEMBRE DE 1900.

ARBITRAJES. CONCLUSIONES APROBADAS.

I. Sirviendo la causa de la Humanidad y el interés general de la civilización, el Congreso protesta contra toda política y toda tendencia á resolver los conflictos internacionales por otros medios que los pacíficos y jurídicos.

Y declara que fervorosamente simpatiza con todos los esfuerzos que en Europa y América se hacen por publicistas, profesores, Asociaciones y Gobiernos, para llegar al establecimiento definitivo de Tribunales de arbitraje, á los cuales se sometan por completo todas las cuestiones que existan ó puedan existir entre las naciones.

II. Por los mismos motivos, y además por intereses de raza y familia (que no obstan á la superior, franca y eficaz comunicación de todos los pueblos del mundo), por razones históricas bien notorias, y por la especialidad de las actuales relaciones de España y la América latina, efecto principalmente de la inmigración constante de españoles en las Repúblicas iberoamericanas, el Congreso proclama la urgencia de constituir, por la acción de los Gobiernos, un Tribunal de arbitraje hispanoamericano, al cual hayan de ser sometidas así, las cuestiones todas que surjan entre los Estados que tienen representación en

are represented in this Congress, as well as the right interpretation of all Treaties existing between them.

III. The Congress affirms that the said Tribunal should be permanent in character, obligatory and without exceptions. This does not, however, prevent the Congress, should such a Tribunal not be capable of immediate realisation, from recommending the establishment of Arbitration Tribunals for special occasions, or for each particular dispute.

IV. As the Congress desires that in this Arbitration Tribunal all the nations of Latin America and Spain shall be permanently represented for the decision of all conflicts that may arise, not only between Spain and Latin America but also between the Latin American Republics themselves, and as it foresees that the full realisation of this design will necessitate delay, it recommends, in that case, that an attempt be made to procure the immediate establishment of Arbitration, in the form before-mentioned, for the questions which exist or which may arise between those Hispano-American Republics and the Spanish nation.

V. The Congress deems it expedient to guarantee the efficacy of the awards of the permanent and obligatory Tribunal of Arbitration by means of a positive sanction, in addition to the engagement of honour entered into by all the nations which submit their differences to the Tribunal.

VI. The Congress protests against any tendency to give to the Arbitration Tribunal, or to the efforts made for its establishment, any mark of the political supremacy of any one of the nations interested in the Tribunal which is recommended.

VII. The Congress affirms that in order to induce the Governments to establish the Arbitration Tribunal, and also that it may be strengthened and widened, it is necessary that the executives of the Ibero-American Societies should make a strong and persistent effort to give greater prominence to the fundamental idea of Peace, which is what Arbitration presupposes, and to create a closer intimacy between the Spanish and the HispanoAmerican peoples.

For this purpose the Congress recommends :

First, the establishment of free societies for the propagation

este Congreso, como la recta interpretación de los Tratados existentes entre los mismos.

III. El Congreso afirma que ese Tribunal ha de tener el carácter de permanente, obligatorio y sin excepciones; pero esto no obsta para que si aquello no fuere inmediatamente realizable, recomiende la constitución de Tribunales de arbitraje ocasionales ó para cada conflicto particular.

IV. Siendo la aspiración del Congreso que en el Tribunal de arbitraje estén representadas todas las naciones de la América latina y España, de modo permanente para la resolución de todos los conflictos que se den, no sólo entre España y la América latina, si que entre las Repúblicas latino-americanas, prevée que la cumplida realización de este pensamiento encuentra retardos, y para este caso recomienda que, por lo menos, se procure la constitución inmediata del arbitraje, en la forma antes dicha, para las cuestiones que existan ó surjan entre aquellas Repúblicas hispano-americanas y la Nación Española.

V. El Congreso estima que es conveniente garantizar la eficacia de los fallos del Tribunal permanente y obligatorio de arbitraje, por medio de una sanción positiva, además del compromiso de honor contraido por todas las naciones que al Tribunal sometan sus diferencias.

VI. El Congreso protesta contra toda tendencia á dar al Tribunal de arbitraje ó á las gestiones que se hagan para constituirlo, cualquier nota de supremacía política de alguna de las naciones interesadas en el Tribunal que se recomienda.

VII. El Congreso afirma que, tanto para determinar á los Gobiernos á establecer el Tribunal de arbitraje, como para que éste se robustezca y ensanche, es indispensable que las clases directoras de las Sociedades ibero-americanas, realicen un vigoroso y perseverante esfuerzo para dar gran viveza á la idea fundamental de la paz, que es el supuesto del arbitraje, y hacer más íntimo el trato de los pueblos hispano-americanos y el español.

Para esto el Congreso recomienda :

Primero, la constitución de Sociedades libres, propagandistas

of Peace, similar to those at the present time existing in the rest of Europe and in North America.

Secondly, the creation in the different States of Latin America and in Spain, of scientific clubs devoted to the study of the international questions of our times, and to the diffusion and propagation of the principles and tendencies of modern International Law, in the manner recommended by the Institute of International Law, in Art. 9 of its Statutes of 1873, revised at Oxford in 1880.

Thirdly, the establishment of the Society for General Culture and Popular Education recommended by the Ibero-American Congress of Teachers of 1892, which should give special attention to the popularising of the history and geography of America, Portugal and Spain, and to the knowledge of the most prominent personalities and most important problems in those

countries.

And fourthly, the stimulation of the Parliaments of the Spanish and Hispano-American States to carry out the common purpose of providing in their respective codes for the establishment of the Arbitration Tribunal, in the form and with the object expressed in these resolutions.

VIII. The Congress, finally, in presenting a vote of thanks to the Society Union Ibero-Americana of Madrid, for its efforts in initiating and carrying out the meetings of the present assembly, recommends to the executive of the said Society to undertake the duty of the preparing, organising and holding of a new congress, which shall have for its object the consideration, in view of these decisions of the subject, of existing international relations and the solution of those problems which have been recently set forth in order to bring Spain and Latin America into continually closer intimacy.

In order the better to secure this end, a mixed commission shall be formed, composed of Hispano-American Delegates specially from this congress, who shall be associated with the executive of the Society Union Ibero-Americana.

Madrid, 18th November, 1900.