Final declaration, dated July 21, 1954, of the Geneva Conference on the problem of
restoring peace in Indochina, in which the representatives of Cambodia, the Democratic
Republic of Viet-Nam, France, Laos, the People's Republic of China, the State of Viet-Nam,
the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the United Kingdom and the United States of
America took part.
1. The Conference takes note of the agreements ending hostilities in Cambodia, Laos,
and Viet-Nam and organizing international control and the supervision of the execution of
the provisions of these agreements.
2. The Conference expresses satisfaction at the ending of hostilities in Cambodia,
Laos, and Viet-Nam. The Conference expresses its conviction that the execution of the
provisions set out in the present declaration and in the agreements on the cessation of
hostilities will permit Cambodia, Laos, and Viet-Nam henceforth to play their part, in
full independence and sovereignty, in the peaceful community of nations.
3. The Conference takes note of the declarations made by the Governments of Cambodia
and of Laos of their intention to adopt measures permitting all citizens to take their
place in the national community, in particular by participating in the next general
elections, which, in conformity with the constitution of each of these countries, shall
take place in the course of the year 1955, by secret ballot and in conditions of respect
for fundamental freedoms.
4. The Conference takes note of the clauses in the agreement on the cessation of
hostilities in Viet-Nam prohibiting the introduction into Viet Nam of foreign troops and
military personnel as well as of all kinds of arms and munitions. The Conference also
takes note of the declarations made by the Governments of Cambodia and Laos of their
resolution not to request foreign aid, whether in war material, in personnel, or in
instructors except for the purpose of effective defense of their territory and, in the
case of Laos, to the extent defined by the agreements on the cessation of hostilities in
Laos.
5. The Conference takes note of the clauses in the agreement on the cessation of
hostilities in Viet-Nam to the effect that no military base at the disposition of a
foreign state may be established in the regrouping zones of the two parties, the latter
having the obligation to see that the zones allotted to them shall not constitute part of
any military alliance and shall not be utilized for the resumption of hostilities or in
the service of an aggressive policy. The Conference also takes note of the declarations of
the Governments of Cambodia and Laos to the effect that they will not join in any
agreement with other states if this agreement includes the obligation to participate in a
military alliance not in conformity with the principles of the charter of the United
Nations or, in the case of Laos, with the principles of the agreement on the cessation of
hostilities in Laos or, so long as their security is not threatened, the obligation to
establish bases on Cambodian or Laotian territory for the military forces of foreign
powers.
6. The Conference recognizes that the essential purpose of the agreement relating to
Viet-Nam is to settle military questions with a view to ending hostilities and that the
military demarcation line should not in any way be interpreted as constituting a political
or territorial boundary. The Conference expresses its conviction that the execution of the
provisions set out in the present declaration and in the agreement on the cessation of
hostilities creates the necessary basis for the achievement in the near future of a
political settlement in Viet-Nam.
7. The Conference declares that, so far as Viet-Nam is concerned, the settlement of
political problems, effected on the basis of respect for the principles of independence,
unity, and territorial integrity, shall permit the Vietnamese people to enjoy the
fundamental freedoms, guaranteed by democratic institutions established as a result of
free general elections by secret ballot.
In order to insure that sufficient progress in the restoration of peace has been made,
and that all the necessary conditions obtain for free expression of the national will,
general elections shall be held in July 1956, under the supervision of an international
commission composed of representatives of the member states of the International
Supervisory Commission referred to in the agreement on the cessation of hostilities.
Consultations will be held on this subject between the competent representative
authorities of the two zones from April 20, 1955, onwards.
8. The provisions of the agreements on the cessation of hostilities intended to insure
the protection of individuals and of property must be most strictly applied and must, in
particular, allow every one in Viet-Nam to decide freely in which zone he wishes to live.
9. The competent representative authorities of the northern and southern zones of
Viet-Nam, as well as the authorities of Laos and Cambodia, must not permit any individual
or collective reprisals against persons who have collaborated in any way with one of the
parties during the war, or against members of such persons' families.
10. The Conference takes note of the declaration of the French Government to the effect
that it is ready to withdraw its troops from the territory of Cambodia, Laos, and
Viet-Nam, at the request of the governments concerned and within a period which shall be
fixed by agreement between the parties except in the cases where, by agreement between the
two parties, a certain number of French troops shall remain at specified points and for a
specified time.
11. The Conference takes note of the declaration of the French Government to the effect
that for the settlement of all the problems connected with the reestablishment and
consolidation of peace in Cambodia, Laos, and Viet-Nam, the French Government will proceed
from the principle of respect for the independence and sovereignty, unity, and territorial
integrity of Cambodia, Laos, and Viet-Nam.
12. In their relations with Cambodia, Laos, and Viet-Nam, each member of the Geneva
Conference undertakes to respect the sovereignty, the independence, the unity, and the
territorial integrity of the above-mentioned states, and to refrain from any interference
in their internal affairs.
13. The members of the Conference agree to consult one another on any question which
may be referred to them by the International Supervisory Commission, in order to study
such measures as may prove necessary to insure that the agreements on the cessation of
hostilities in Cambodia, Laos, and Viet-Nam are respected.
Source:
from The Department of State Bulletin, XXXI, No. 788 (August 2, 1954), p.
164.
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