Treaty of Lausanne, October, 1912.
1. INTRODUCTION.
Italy declared war on Turkey September 29, 1911, because the latter had
failed to accept the Italian 24-hour ultimatum to allow Italy to occupy Tripoli and
Cyrenaica. By formal royal decree, November 5, 1911, confirmed by an act of Parliament,
February 25, 1912, these two provinces were declared to be under the full and entire
sovereignty of the Italian Kingdom.
2. NEGOTIATION.
Russia suggested mediation, February, 1912, but the reply of the Marquis
de San Giuliano, March 15, and the statement of the Porte, April 23, furnished the powers
no opportunity for such action. Informal diplomatic conversations were opened at Caux,
Switzerland, in July, and later these were continued at Ouchy. Agreement was impossible,
since the Turkish representatives insisted that any action on the part of the delegates
must be sanctioned by their respective Parliaments. Italy saw in this demand the familiar
Turkish play for delay. Finally an Italian ultimatum gave Turkey three days, October 12 to
15, in which to accept the Italian proposals. As Montenegro ha declared war on Turkey,
October 9, and the other States of the Balkan League were preparing to follow, the Turkish
delegates were authorized to conclude a treaty. Terms of the protocol were accepted on the
15th, but the final draft was signed on the 19th. In the interim, the Ottoman Government
by a firman, October 16, granted autonomy to Tripoli and Cyrenaica and the Sultan
appointed a spiritual representative for the provinces. An irade of the Sultan guaranteed
administrative and juridical reforms for the Aegean Islands. By royal proclamation the
Italian Government granted amnesty and guaranteed religious freedom to the two provinces.
A commission was appointed, consisting in part of natives, to make civil regulations
respecting local customs.
3. TERMS OF THE TREATY.
The final draft of the Treaty of Lausanne was signed October 18, 1912, by Pietro-Bertolini, Guido Fusinnato, and Giuseppe Volpe, plenipotentiaries for Italy, and Mehemmed Naby Bey and Roumboyoglon Fahreddin Bey, plenipotentiaries for Turkey. It provided for:
Article 1, immediate and simultaneous cessation of
hostilities.
Article 2, Turkey's immediate recall of officers, troops, and
civil functionaries from Tripoli and Cyrenaica, this to be followed immediately by Italy's
withdrawal from the Aegean Islands (the Dodecanese). (It is to be noted, that there is no
formal recognition of any change in territorial sovereignty and that Italy has not
withdrawn from the Islands.)
Article 3, immediate exchange of prisoners and hostages.
Article 4, mutual and full amnesty for all hostile acts,
crimes at common law excepted.
Article 5, resumption of all treaties as before the war.
Article 6, an Italian engagement to conclude a treaty of
commerce without the "capitulation" servitudes whenever the other powers do so.
Article 7, an Italian engagement to suppress Italian post
offices in the Ottoman Empire whenever other powers do so.
Article 8, the signification of willingness on the part of
Italy to lend support to the powers for the general suppression of the
"capitulations" in the Ottoman Empire.
Article 9, a Turkish engagement to restore dismissed subjects
of Italy to their administrative positions in the Empire without loss of retirement
pension rights and a promise by Turkey to use her influence with nongovernmental
institutions to act in a similar manner.
Article 10, an Italian pledge to pay into the Turkish
treasury an annual sum equivalent to the average sums which for the three years previous
to the war had been allocated for the use of the public debt to the two provinces; the
amount to be determined by a commission of three -- one Turkish, one Italian, and a third
chosen by the two. In case of failure to agree each State was to choose a power as
mediator and the two powers thus designated were to select a, chief arbitrator. Italy was
given the right to substitute for the annuity a sum corresponding to the amount
capitalized at the rate of 4 per cent. (The commission fixed on 2,000,000 lire annually.)
4. CONCLUSION.
The vagueness of the treaty as regards the questions at issue is taken
to mean that the provisions of the ultimatum, the acts of annexation, the proclamation of
amnesty and religious freedom, the firman and the irade had already accomplished the
settlement of these matters.
Source: Anderson, Frank Maloy and Amos Shartle Hershey, Handbook for the Diplomatic History of Europe, Asia, and Africa 1870-1914. Prepared for the National Board for Historical Service. Government Printing Office, Washington, 1918.