§ 14. Mr. COCKSasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether any steps have been taken to ascertain the present attitude of the French Government on the clause in the Franco-British agreement of 1923 under which His Majesty's Government pledged itself not to open any negotiations for the cession or alienation of the island of Cyprus without the consent of the French Government?
§ Sir J. SIMONThere is no Franco-British agreement of 1923 relating to Cyprus, but the undertaking on the part of His Majesty's Government to which the hon. Member no doubt refers is contained in Article 4 of the Franco-British Convention of the 23rd of December, 1920, which deals with certain points connected with the mandates for Syria and Ate Lebanon, Palestine and Mesopotamia. No correspondence has taken place between His Majesty's Government and the French Government as to the present 1502 attitude of the latter towards the undertaking given in this Article.