§ SIR SEYMOUR KING (Hull, Central)To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he is aware that, when the Powers took over practical responsibility for the administration of Crete, they declared that they would guarantee the lives and property of the Moslems. Whether, in spite of this undertaking, the 192 Moslems have been abandoned to the cruelties of the so-called Christian community in Crete, who have forced them to fly from their properties and then taken possession of them; and what steps the Government are taking to protect the Moslems and secure for them some indemnity for the outrages and losses to which they have been subjected.
§ (Answered by Secretary Sir Edward Grey.) The answer to the first Question is in the affirmative. The Mussulman population cannot be said to have been abandoned to persecution by the Christian community in Crete, as one of the principal reasons for the retention of the international contingents is the protection of Mussulman lives and property. The Consuls of the protecting Powers have, moreover, frequently urged on the High Commissioner the necessity of safeguarding Mussulman interests, and Monsieur Zaimis has recently given an undertaking to this effect. It has been found impracticable at present to make any arrangement whereby the Mussulman population can be indemnified for any losses they may have sustained during the recent disturbances.