Thirteenth meeting, Saturday, December 12, 1931___. 970 Morning session.. Fourteenth meeting, Thursday, December 17, 1931: Afternoon session_ 1024 1088 V Fifteenth meeting, Friday, December 18, 1931: Page Morning session. 1142 Afternoon session 1205 Sixteenth meeting, Tuesday, December 22, 1931: Morning session.. 1258 Afternoon session_. 1329 ARGUMENTS FIRST MEETING FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 1931 Pursuant to the protocol of January 20, 1931, the Arbi tral Tribunal met at 10 o'clock a.m. PRESENT: The Arbitral Tribunal, consisting of: Dr. Walter Simons, President, Mr. Fred K. Nielsen, American Arbitrator, Abd el Hamid Badaoui Pasha, Egyptian Arbitrator. For the United States of America: Mr. Bert L. Hunt, Agent for the Government of the Mr. Francis M. Anderson, Counsel for the Govern- Mr. Joseph E. Davies, of Counsel for the United For the Government of His Majesty the King of Mr. Maurice Linant de Bellefonds, Agent for the Prof. A. de Geouffre de La Pradelle, Counsel for Opening Address of Dr. Walter Simons, President of the Tribunal President SIMONS: Gentlemen, under the terms of a protocol signed January 20 of this year, the Government of the United States of America and the Government of His Majesty the King of Egypt have agreed to constitute an Arbitral Tribunal in order to settle a pecuniary claim based on the alleged proceedings of the local authorities and Mixed Courts of Egypt against an American citizen named George J. Salem. . This Tribunal has been instituted as provided by the protocol and we meet today at the date which has been fixed by the two Governments. I open the first meeting of the Tribunal with the expression of my gratitude for the honor bestowed on my country and myself by the high contracting parties in choosing me as Umpire of this Tribunal and as colleague of such eminent Arbitrators as are Mr. Fred K. Nielsen, a man of greatest experience and merits in arbitration cases, and His Excellency Abd el Hamid Badaoui Pasha, President of the Committee of Administrative Jurisdiction of his State, and well acquainted with international public law. I may well be proud to collaborate with them on a common work of international justice and equity. This work is prepared in a masterful way by the very explicit Cases, Counter Cases, Replies, and Briefs of the honorable and distinguished Agents and Counsel for the high contracting parties. Allow me to express in the name of the Arbitral Tribunal our satisfaction to find, in forming our opinion on the case, the assistance of the learned, able, and experienced gentlemen, Mr. Bert L. Hunt, Mr. Francis M. Anderson, and Mr. Joseph Edward Davies, for the United States Government, and Mr. Linant de Bellefonds and Prof. Geouffre de La Pradelle for the Government of His Majesty the King of Egypt. As to the procedure of the Arbitral Tribunal, the necessary rules are given by the articles of the protocol and they will be strictly observed by everybody concerned with the proceedings. In doing so, we will show our deep respect for the Governments of the two countries whose difference we have to solve. The only rule the Tribunal |