§ Mr. DILLONasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he can state the reason for the resignation of the late Minister for Justice in Egypt, Said Zagloul Pasha; and whether it was in any measure due to differences of opinion between Said Zagloul Pasha and the British Consul General, or his English advisers, as to the policy of recent prosecutions?
§ Sir E. GREYAs it has not been thought desirable to make public the reason of the Minister's resignation in Egypt itself it is clearly preferable to make no statement on the subject here, but it was, I believe, entirely unconnected with any differences of the nature suggested by the hon. Member.
§ Mr. DILLONasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he had received a letter from the Egyptian Committee informing him of a prohibition issued by the Egyptian Government of the committee's organ, the monthly newspaper "Egypt," entrance, circulation, and sale in Egypt, and claiming his protection as British subjects; whether such prohibition is authorised under the capitulations as against an English paper printed in English and owned by Englishmen; whether any such prohibition has been previously exercised in Egypt against any newspaper of French, German, or other European origin, and on what grounds; whether he has received from the Egyptian Committee a complete set from its commencement of the paper prohibited, and whether it contains any incitement to a disturbance of public order; whether any such disturbance has, in fact, taken place attributable to the paper "Egypt"; what means the Egyptian Government propose to adopt in order to prevent the entry of the paper into Egypt; whether it will be by the inspection and opening of envelopes and postal packets during their transmission through the post; whether such inspection and opening of postal packets is sanctioned by law in Egypt or has hitherto been practised; whether he will intervene in the affair and obtain a withdrawal of the prohibition; whether 1255 he has received any communication from Lord Kitchener on the subject; and whether he will lay Papers?
§ Sir E. GREYThe answer to point 1 is in the affirmative; as regards point 2, the question is not affected by the capitulations; such action is authorised by the Egyptian Press Law of 1881. The answer to point 3, as to previous instances of prohibition, is in the affirmative; an instance is the case of a French newspaper, which was excluded in 1911 for a violent and inflammatory attack on His Highness the Khedive. On point 4, which deals with the character of the paper, the answer to the first part is in the affirmative; although the articles may not actually contain direct incitements to disturbances of public order, they are, in my opinion, undoubtedly calculated to cause them. As regards point 5, there has been no disturbance, etc., up to the present time attributable to the articles, and it is to be hoped that the action taken will prevent any such occurrence. On points 6, V, and 8 as to the means adopted to prevent the circulation of the paper, I have no information beyond the knowledge that the Egyptian Government has proceeded by a Ministerial Arrêté which enables the Government to seize copies of the paper and to proceed against persons selling it. As to the remainder of the question I have heard from Lord Kitchener on the subject; I do not think that any useful purpose would be served by laying Papers; and it is not my intention to intervene, as I think the decision that has been come to is quite right.