§ 7. Mr. THURTLEasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs if he has any statement to make regarding negotiations with the Egyptian Government?
§ Sir A. CHAMBERLAINNo negotiations are in progress, but Lord Lloyd has been instructed to deliver a reply to the Note recently presented to him by the Egyptian Prime Minister, and I hope that the text of the two Notes will be published to-morrow.
§ Mr. THURTLEWill the Foreign Secretary bear in mind, in connection with these negotiations with Egypt, the undesirability of giving the outside world an impression of a strong Power bullying a weak one?
§ Sir A. CHAMBERLAINThere are no negotiations in progress with Egypt. The negotiations were closed when Sarwat Pasha and I agreed upon the text of a Treaty, which the Egyptian Government have subsequently rejected. The text of that Treaty, offered freely by His Majesty's Government, is sufficient to guard against any suggestion of the kind that the hon. Member mentions.
§ Mr. SAKLATVALADo we, then, take it that the negotiations have now closed, and that what is going on as an exchange of Notes is not anything else but an exchange of hostile ultimatums from either side?
§ Mr. SPEAKERThe hon. Member is giving his opinion.