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« Société Des Nations. 1920. League of Nations « SOCIÉTÉ DES NATIONS. 1 920. LEAGUE OF NATIONS. REGISTRY. Classement. Classement Document No, Dossier No. POLITICAL. No. IX. 8557 £ 5 % Sujet. Expéditeur. &rruyuXrtijchusrn~ jfiujr* "ÊlA c&t' (yvcj& s^u.jcxti& n <dtl— Ç^TybyüL$3USLi J2^ rt 'ÊLt&fcuMLfUJL .' °) ® jULurvuJjouÙ_^yi c&Lu. i£j Occ£ h/ u i _ , <— cÜl «J: ( 0 %^*Oijnu^aJ£urr) <£/Ü> h . ^t^ioArz/U- Date. é e) y ^e^uuJüjH j ■ R em ettre ce document à- R em ettre ce document à- L’u s a g e d e c e t emplacement e s t D ate. D ate. r é s e r v é a u R e g i s t r y . (En premier lieu). (En second lieu). Réponses, &o. (Out L etter Book) :- CLutï-Â &CtA i ^ S* ir . n u Document Copies envoyées pour information No. précédent f J i / préalable à :— Index À. • Index B Sommaire. Imprimé. Distribution. Voir les dossiers : Index G. VW- A classer. Document No. suivant 8 ^ 5 -9 Prière d’inscrire les commentaires sur la feuille blanche à l’intérieur. Voir, pour Distribution (éventuelle), la feuille bleue à l’intérieur. 260763—Wt. P. 1800/97 B.—26250—2-20—IV. & S. Ltd. (E.) [T.S.V.P.] COMMENTAIRES. MINUTES. (Page 1) W - k t i p v - '1 «* 52183—0/26129 Wt. P36S D85 5/20 P. & T. Ltd. 8357 300IL TE, DE.S ETIONS , , ___ ____£0/4#/ SSI, Communiqué aux Membres de la Soci5t£, au Conseil et au Secrétaria t. Geneve, le 13 novembre 1920, 32, 3IPgILR5ES LKTH1L LA POLQGUSi Lü? LA LITHUANIE Hote du Secrétaire General sur les oo nditions d'organi­ sation de la Oonsultation Populaire, en Lithuanie prévu par les résolutions du Conseil « 28 Octobre 1920» Dane s a séance du 28 Octobre 1920, â Bruxelles, le Conseil de la Société des Mations a adopte un© résolution recom­ mandant aux Gouvernements de la Pologne e t de la Lithuanie le règlement de leur différend territorial dans la région de Vil- na, par voie de consultation populaire. Par deux communications parvenues à M, Léon Bourgeois le 7 novembre, les parties ont accepté cette recommandation* Le Conseil a maintenant â pres­ crire les mesures nécessaires pour son exécution. Pour cette éxecution, trois questions se posent: 1,- Quelles sont les limites du territoire soumis â la consultation populaire? 2,- Q,uel sera le mode de cette consultation? 3,- Quels sont les moyens matériels nécessaires pour en assu­ rer le fonctionnement?, I. DJLLDlIITÂPlOII DU IEEIKR I TO 135 . a) A L^Ouest La résolution du 28 Octobre indique que la consultation aura lieu sur une région s'étendant â l'_iS t de la ligne du 8 Octobre 1919, désignée quelcuefoi s sous le nom de "Ligne Our z on" » Une communication du Clergé d 'Affaires de Lithuanie à Londres, reçue le 1er novembre, exprime le d é s ir que la consultation s'étende n certaines localités ( Seini et Punsk) situées â V Ouest de cette ligne . Cette extension serait g v if dernment contraire aux intentions du Conseil, sans que celui- ci d'ailleurs ait entendu préjuger de la frontière définitive en tre l a Pologne e t la Lithuanie dans la région de Suv/alki sur laquelle le Gouvernement lithuanien a exprimd certaines serv es, b ) Au Sud. Au Sud, la Commission M ilita ire de Contrôle propose :;ue la consultation populaire, s'étende jusqu'à la ligne qui avait été reconnue comme frontière de la Lithuanie par le traité du 12 J u ille t 1920, entre le G-ouvermment Lithuanien et le Gouvernement des Soviets, Cette délimitation ne paraît pas rencontrer d'opposition ni du c$>te de la Lithuanie, ni du c<5tS de la Pologne, c ) Au Hord, De ce 06te , i l n 'e x iste pe s de ligne également acceptes par les p a rtie s . Bans sa oomnnmicatLon du 1er Novembre, le Chargé d'Affaires lithuanien a Londres, indi­ que la ligne de démarcation tracée le 7 novembre â Suwalki, Mais Vilna se trouverait au lord de cette ligne , et il est é« vident que 1 intention du Conseil est de faire régler le sort de Vilna et de sa région par la Consultation populaire, La li~ gne de demarcation tracee en 1919 entre la Lithuanie et la Po­ logne par le Maréchal 5*oeh, et qui court parallèlement à la li­ gne de chemin de fer de Grodno à Dvinsk, passant à environ 30 kilomètres au Nord de Vilna, pourrait être &cb pt^e comme la l i ­ mita, .Word du territoire soumis à la consultation populaire, Une autre ligne, située un peu plus au lord, est celle des pays sur lesquels s'étendait la juridiction de la Tar iba lithuanienne, avant 1 offensive bolcheviste de cette année, On peut faire observer que toute la a one comprise entre cette frontière dite de la Tebiba et celle du Traite entre la Lithuanie et les Soviets du 12 juillet dernier, n'a jamais appartenu regulierement a aucun Etat constitue, depuis la dissolution de 1 Empire Russe♦ ülle était en 1919 occupée mi­ litairement par les Polonais. Elle s, été, pendant une partie de cette année, occupée par l'armée des Soviets, Elle a é t6 ensuite attribuée â la Lithuanie par le Traitée du 12 Juillet mais ce Traité qui n 'a jamais été reconnu par aucune puissan­ ce a l'exception de l'Altemayne est en contradiction arec les dispositions des préliminaires de paix de Riga sitre les So­ viets et la Pologne, De plus, une partie du territoire qu'elle délimité n a pas cesse d être occupe militairement par tes troupes des Soviets, jusqu'au moment ou elles en o n t é té chas*, ses par l'armée polonaise* En tout cas, la frontière dite de la Tariba d'un côté, et la frontière du 12 juillet de l'autrey seraient les limites extrpies entre lesquelles pourrait avoir lieu la consultation populaire* Ces deux lignes so rejoignent au Ecr d-Est sur le cours de la Ewina, en amont de Dvinsk, Les parties pourraient être invitons h se mettre d'accord sur la limite üord de la zone de consultation. Au cas où cet accord ne pourrait être obtenu, le Conseil déciderait sur les indications de sa Commission» l i e WDE SI1 CIitt.VKISA?IOK s e LA OOISULMTOjT' W W E& mRc Les mots de "Consultation populaire", employes dsns l a résolution du. 28 Octobre, indiquent que la Conseil a entendu so réserver une entière liberté dans la détermination du système par le quoi le sentiment de la population pourra être constaté «, Le plébiscite proprement dit, par vote régulier au scrutin secret, malgré toutes les garanties qu'il peut présenter, s "est en effet montré dans plusieurs cas assez décevant, en raison des délais qu'il entraînea Pendant la période de préparation du plébiscite, il faut d’abord assurer 1*administrât!on du ter­ ritoire contesté, ce qui entraîne des frais et des difficultés considérables et, plus cette période se prolonge, plus les par­ ties en présence sont tentées d’user de moyens variés de pro­ pagande, qui ont pour effet de peser sur Vopinion et de la fa u sse r, La Commission M ilitaire envoyée en Lithuanie pour f a i ­ re exécuter la ré solution du Conseil, a suggéré un système de consultation sommaire et rapide. Le pays serait divisé en une dizaine de districts, et chacun d’eux serait parcouru par une Commission da tr o is officiers, accompagnés dTun assesseur po­ lo n ais ot d’un assesseur lith u a n ie n . Cette Commission convo­ querait dans chaque localité une sorte d'assemblée générale de la population, à la suite de laquelle un procès-verbal serait dressé, constatant le sentiment qui s'est manifesté,, Il est évident que ce système ne pourrait pas s'appli­ quer aux villes, on particulier à la ville de Vilna, qui a plus de 150.000 habitants. De plus, il y aurait des précautions à prendre pour éviter que la pression qui peut fausser le résul­ tat d’un plébiscite ne soit Remplacée dans ce cas par des mé­ thodes de contrainte plus brutales. Il paraît indispensable que des commissaires civ ils, pris da préférence parmi la s personnes qui ont tra v a illé à I 1 organisation d-autres consultations populairas» soient chargés de faire rapidement une étude sur place de a condi­ tions particulières dar.es lesquelles cotte consultation pour­ rait avoir lieu. lia srassureraient en même temps dos disposi­ tions des (Gouverne ment s polonais et lithuanien afin de trouver une solution qui ne provoqua pas de la part de l’un ou de l'au­ tre des intéressé3; uae opposition de nature à compromettre le résultat „ Un de leurs premiers soins serait d 1 examiner s ’i l est préférable, en vue d’une juste solution du litige, que le résultat de la consultation populaire détermine le sort du territoire contesté tout entier, ou le sort de ses différents districts, le tracé définitif de la frontière étant dans ce dernier cas réservé au Conseil sur les indications fournies par la Commission,.. I l l » Wl^ErPSA'TIQT^SJ.)1 Dans la résolution du «58 Octobre, il est prévu que les troupes occupant actuellement le territoire contesté de­ vraient être, pendant la période de la consultation, éloignées ou désarmées » Ces troupes s e divisent en trois groupe a"; l a - les troupes de l ’armée régulière polonaise; 3o- Los troupes du Général Zeligoweki actuellement sn possession de Yilna et do ses environs; 3o-" Les troupes lithuaniennes„ En r.e qui concerne les troupes polonaises et lithua­ niennes, il esb possible d:obtenir des deux gouvernements l ’é­ vacuation temporaire des territoires qu’elles occupent 0 La 8357 6 - Commission lü lita ir o a fa it observer qu’i l peut e tre néces­ saire, étant donné quo le Traité de Paix définitif entre la Pologne et la Russie Soviétique n 1 est pas encore a igné, de prévoir pour les troupes polonaises la faculté droccuper un petit nombre de points stratégiques,, de manière à ne pas coi.i- promettre la situation militaire en cas de renouvellement des hostilités.
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