2. The “identity papers” with which Article 27 deals are for internal use, as contrasted with the “travel documents” to be used for journeys abroad. It is a paper certifying the identity of a stateless person (certificate of identity) and, in countries with a passport system, a substitute for a “domestic” passport. Contrary to other articles, Article 27 deals with “any stateless person in their territory”, thus indicating verbally that neither residence nor even lawful presence is required. All that is 184 necessary, is that the stateless person be physically in the territory of the given state. It was made clear in the Refugee Conference that this Article in no way impaired the right 185 of Contracting States to control the admission and sojourn of refugees; in other words, the issuance of an identity paper does not obligate the state to keep the stateless person within its borders. The Convention does not prescribe the nature of the identity papers. As said, they may be temporary or final; they need not be official papers in the sense used in Europe and may simply consist of a document showing the identity of the refugee. In countries where no identity papers are required or issued, Article 27 would not impose on stateless persons an obligation to possess one because its purpose is only to safeguard the interests of the stateless persons, and not to stigmatize them in any way. Article 28 Travel documents The Contracting States shall issue to stateless persons lawfully staying in their territory travel documents for the purpose of travel outside their territory, unless compelling reasons of national security or public order otherwise require and the provisions of the Schedule to this Convention shall apply with respect to such documents. The Contracting States may issue such a travel document to any other stateless person in their territory; they shall in particular give sympathetic consideration to the issue of such a travel document to stateless persons in their territory who are unable to obtain a travel document from the country of their lawful residence. 1. There have been ample precedents for international arrangements regarding the issuance of travel documents to refugees. In fact, the problem of travel documents was the one with which the concern of the comity of nations for refugees actually began. The July 5, 1922, Arrangements concerning the so-called Nansen certificates for Russian refugees; that of May 31, 1924, for Armenian refugees; the Arrangements of May 12, 1926, June 30, 1928, and July 30, 1935, dealt exclusively with travel documents. The 1933 and 1938 Conventions also imposed on the Contracting Parties the obligations to issue travel documents, and the first post-Second World War agreement, that of October 15, 1946, again treated of travel documents only. But there has been no international convention regarding travel documents for non-refugee stateless persons. This may account for the difficulties with which the conference was confronted as regards this article. 2. There was considerable opposition in the conference to the inclusion of this article. Several reasons were given: one, that the relevant countries provide anyhow for the issuance of travel documents to stateless persons (France, Australia); another, that it would be confusing to issue to stateless persons travel documents modelled on a document for refugees; a third, that Article 28 created a mandatory obligation, while the states wish to be free to refuse the issuance 186 184 This was made clear in the Ad Hoc Committee, where it was the consensus that every refugee should be provided with some sort of document certifying to his identity without prejudice to the application of other articles of the Convention or the domestic regulations concerning the grant of rights to aliens (SR.38, p. 24). 185 See the opening speech by the High Commissioner for Refugees (SR.2, p. 16) and the statement by the Dutch representative (SR.11, p. 17). 186 SR.8, pp. 5-7.