Evening star., 1949-12-09
Geneva Conventions
Limiting War Horrors
Signed by 29 Nations
BY the Assoeioted Press


BY the Assoeioied Press
GENEVA. Dec. 9.-Representa-
tives of % nations, including all
the major powers except the So
Wet Union and China, solemnly
signed the four Geneva conven-
tions of 1949 here yesterday. set
ting a legal limit on the horrors
of any future wars.
The Soviet Unions delegate,
Gen. Nicolai Vassilievitch Slavine,
sent a telegram from Vienna. say
ing his plane had been held up
by bad weather. He said he hoped
to reach Geneva today. With him
were the delegates of Byelo-Rus-
sia and the Ukraine. :
However, the Soviet point Of
view was presented at yesterdays
meeting by the delegates Of Hun
gary and Czechoslovakia. Both
said the conventions were faulty
because they did not include a
proposal submitted by the Soviet
Union last August, which would
have banned atomic weapons.
Atomic Weapons Excluded.
"The results of the conference
do not meet our hopes because
the conference did not adopt the
q. S. r. r. proposal on atomic
weapons" said Nine. Simon Kara,
Hungarian delegate.
Yesterdays signatures brought
the number of signers of three OF
the conventions-those covering
shipwrecked sailors, wounded and
sick soldiers and prisoners of war
to As. The convention for the
protection Of civilians, the most
revolutionary of the four, has
been signed by A. The Ceylon
government withheld its sigma
ture yesterday pending further
study.
The new civilian convention
provides for setting up and recog-
milton Of security zones into which
women, children, the aged and the
sick and wounded can be brought
and sheltered from war. It pro-
vides that signatories must lift
their wartime blockades to per-
NIT the passage of medical sup
plies and food for mothers and
children in occupied territories.
It also provides that the oc-
cupying power may not requisi-
ton foodstuffs if the civilian pop
ulation does not have enough.
The taking and execution Of hos
tages is forbidden and all the
medical experiments. concentra-
ton camp horrors and tortures
employed by the Nazis are out
1awed.
Signed With Reservation.
The United States. the United
Kingdom, Canada and The Meth
erlands also signed the civilian
convention with one reservation.
AL rejected the provision that the
death penalty may not be inflicted
by occupation courts If the laws
Of the occupied country did not
provide for the death penalty at
the time Of occupation. All four
nations announced that they re-
served the right to inf1ict the
death penalty without regard to
local legislation, but in accordance
with all other protective measures
tn the convention.
Under the article as adopted by
. small majority, including the
Soviet bloc. during the conference.
occupying powers would not have
been able to infict the death pen
atty for espionage, sabotage Of
military installations of the oc-
cupying power or for the inten-
tional killing Of soldiers If the law
of the occupied country banned
the death penalty.
Despite the Hungarian and
Czechoslovak criticism Of the con-
ference's failure to adopt the
Soviet Unions proposed ban on
atomic weapons, both signed all
four conventions along with
Poland, Bulgaria and Albania, the
two other Soviet bloc states. were
not present yesterday although |
they had expressed their inten-
ton Of signing.
Max Petitpierre. head Of the
Swiss Political Department and
president of the conference which
labored here for four months |
during the summer to complete |
the conventions. described them
In an address as satisfactory"
Expected to Lessen Horrors.
IF the world should ever again |
be rent asunder by a new con-
fict-against the will Of its peo-
pies, of that we may be sure
the new conventions will prevent,
or at any rate lessen, the hor-
rors which have been witnessed
by our generation" he said.
The signers were Afghanistan,
Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Boil
via, Brazil, Canada. Ceylon, Egypt,
Spain, United States, Ethiopia,
Finland, France. Hungary. Iran,
Israel, Italy, Lebanon. Luxem- |
bourg, Mexico, The Netherlands.
the Philippines. Poland. United
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