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The idea that an area should not form part of a sovereign state but be given an international status by, for example, being permanently placed under the aegis of an organ of the United Nations. Such schemes have been proposed for the city and environs of Trieste and for Jerusalem (both in 1947). However, although to unin-volved outsiders it can seem a fair way of dealing with an area subject to hotly competing claims, it has much less appeal to the stronger claimant and its supporters, and to those in the minority in the relevant UN organ. Largely for these sorts of reason, neither of the above schemes bore fruit. A version of this idea operated during the interwar period in respect of the former German city of Danzig (now Gdansk), which was established as a Free City under the guarantee of the League of Nations. However, it was not a happy experience, and the city was reoccupied by Germany in 1939. During the interwar period the territory of the Saar was internationalized for 15 years (its governing commission being appointed by and responsible to the League of Nations). One other case of temporary internationalization concerned the Colombian district of Leticia, which was administered by the League for a year. The Serbian province of Kosovo is currently under a form of internationalization. |
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