§ Mr. WARDLAW MILNE (by Private Notice)asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether he can give the House any information with regard to the operations being carried out by the Wahabis against His Majesty the King of the Hedjaz; whether Mecca has been evacuated and what is the attitude of the British Government in connection with the trouble which has broken out in Arabia?
§ Lieut. - Commander KENWORTHY (by Private Notice)asked the Secretary of State for the Colonies whether he can make any statement about the reported attacks on Mecca by the Wahabis; whether any assistance, direct or indirect, is being given to the Government of the Hedjaz by His Majesty's Government, the Government of Iraq or the Egyptian Government; and whether there is a British representative at the Court of Ibn Saud?
§ The PRIME MINISTER (Mr. J. Ramsay MacDonald)I will answer these two questions together. The official information which has reached the Foreign Office does not enable me to add anything material to what has appeared in the Press. His Majesty's Ship "Clematis" is at Jeddah, in order to protect British interests there. Both sides have been warned to take every precaution to safeguard the lives and property of any British Moslem subjects who may be in the area of hostilities.
His Majesty's Government have made it quite clear that they adhere to their traditional policy of non-interference in religious matters, and are not prepared to 142 be entangled in any struggle for the possession of the Holy Places of Islam which may be entered upon by the independent rulers of Arabia. Only in the event of both the contending parties spontaneously asking for the good offices of His Majesty's Government, to assist them to settle their differences by peaceful arrangement, would His Majesty's Government be prepared to undertake such a task. I am unaware of any intervention on the part of either the Government of Iraq or of Egypt in the present struggle. There is no British representative attached to the Sultan of Nejd.
§ Lieut. - Commander KENWORTHYWould it not be desirable to re-establish connection by sending a representative again? Did we not have a representative at this Potentate's Court, and would it not be a good thing to have someone there, if only for information?
§ The PRIME MINISTERI am certain that if the whole of the facts were disclosed to the House regarding our relations with this Potentate, the House would not be in the frame of mind to re-establish relations. If any further questions in detail on this very complicated and exceedingly delicate subject are to be asked, they might be put on the Paper.