If the dispute between the parties is claimed by one of them, and is
found by the Council, to arise out of a matter which by international
law is solely within the domestic jurisdiction of that party, the
Council shall so report, and shall make no recommendation as to its
settlement.
The Council may in any case under this Article refer the dispute to the
Assembly. The dispute shall be so referred at the request of either
party to the dispute, provided that such request be made within
fourteen days after the submission of the dispute to the Council.
In any case referred to the Assembly, all the provisions of this
Article and of Article 12 relating to the action and powers of the
Council shall apply to the action and powers of the Assembly, provided
that a report made by the Assembly, if concurred in by the
Representatives of those Members of the League represented on the
Council and of a majority of the other Members of the League, exclusive
in each case of the Representatives of the parties to the dispute,
shall have the same force as a report by the Council concurred in by
all the members thereof {125} other than the Representatives of one or
more of the parties to the dispute.
ARTICLE 16.
Should any Member of the League resort to war in disregard of its
covenants under Articles 12, 13 or 15, it shall _ipso facto_ be deemed
to have committed an act of war against all other Members of the
League, which hereby undertake immediately to subject it to the
severance of all trade or financial relations, the prohibition of all
intercourse between their nationals and the nationals of the
covenant-breaking State, and the prevention of all financial,
commercial or personal intercourse between the nationals of the
covenant-breaking State and the nationals of any other State, whether a
Member of the League or not.
It shall be the duty of the Council in such case to recommend to the
several Governments concerned what effective military, naval or air
force the Members of the League shall severally contribute to the armed
forces to be used to protect the covenants of the League.
The Members of the League agree, further, that they will mutually
support one another in the financial and economic measures which are
taken under this Article, in order to minimise the loss and
inconvenience resulting from the above measures, and that they will
mutually support one another in resisting any special measures aimed at
one of their number by the covenant-breaking State, and that they will
take the necessary steps to afford passage through their territory to
the forces of any of the Members of the League which are co-operating
to protect the covenants of the League.
Any Member of the League which has violated any covenant of the League
may be declared to be no longer a Member of the League by a vote of the
Council concurred in by the Representatives of all the other Members of
the League represented thereon.
{126}
ARTICLE 17.