ADOPTED: Done at Brussels, 23 September 1910

ENTERED INTO FORCE: 1 March 1913

DEPOSITARY: Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

SECRETARY: Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

IMPLEMENTATION

SIGNATURE, RATIFICATION AND ACCESSION

Article XVI

The Convention shall be ratified. After an interval of at most one year from the day on which the Convention is signed, the Belgian Government shall place itself in communication with the Governments of the High Contracting Parties which have declared themselves prepared to ratify it, with a view to decide whether it should be put into force.

The ratifications shall, if so decided, be deposited forthwith at Brussels, and the Convention shall come into force a month after such deposit.

The Protocol shall remain open another year in favour of the States represented at the Brussels Conference. After this interval they can only accede to it in conformity with the provisions of article XV.

Article XV

States which have not signed the Convention are allowed to accede thereto at their request. Such accession shall be notified through the diplomatic channel to the Belgian Government and by the latter to each of the Governments of the other Contracting Parties; it shall become effective one month after the dispatch of such notification by the Belgian Government.

DENUNCIATION

Article XVII

In the case of one or other of the High Contracting Parties denouncing this Convention, such denunciation shall not take effect until a year after the day on which it has been notified to the Belgian Government, and the Convention shall remain in force as between the other Contracting Parties.

AMENDMENTS

Article XIV

Any one of the High Contracting Parties shall have the right, three years after this Convention comes into force, to call for a fresh conference with a view to possible amendments therein, and particularly with a view to extend, if possible, the sphere of its application.

Any Power exercising this right must notify its intention to the other Powers, through the Belgian Government, which will make arrangements for convening the Conference within six months.

DECLARATIONS AND RESERVATIONS

Fiji

On 22 August 1972 a letter was received at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Overseas Trade, Co-operation & Development from Mr. K.K.T. Mara, Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Fiji, notifying that as far as this Convention was concerned, the Government of Fiji was assuming the rights and obligations previously undertaken by the United Kingdom from the date of Fijian independence, that is to say, 10 October 1970.

German Democratic Republic

On 22 May 1953 the Belgian Government received a letter from the Government of the German Democratic Republic asking to enter the Convention into force.

On 15 February 1975, the Belgian Government received a letter from the Government of the German Democratic Republic declaring the reapplication of the Convention for the German Democratic Republic as from 27 December 1954.

Germany, Federal Republic of

This Convention entered into force as from 1 November, 1953 between, on the one hand, the Federal Republic of Germany and, on the other hand, the Allied Powers with the exception of Hungary, Poland, Uruguay, New Zealand, Rumania and the USSR.

“On 30 January, 1976 a note verbale was received, dated 27 January 1976, from the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, noting that the declaration of the German Democratic Republic dated the 31 January 1931 will not have retroactive effect beyond 21 June, 1973 as far as the relations between the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic are concerned.”

Singapore

Accession effected by Great Britain, for the Straits Settlements (of which Singapore is a part), in conformity with the provisions of the Protocol of signature.

On 18 June a note verbale was received at the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Overseas Trade, Co-operation & Development from the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs dated 31 May 1974, declaring that the Singapore Republic considers itself party to the Convention, with effect from the date of her succession to independence, that is to say, 9 August 1965.

St Vincent and the Grenadines

St. Vincent and the Grenadines notified their succession to the Convention on 21 September 2001. The United Kingdom had acceded to the Convention on behalf of St. Vincent and the Grenadines on 01/02/1913.