§ 2. Mr. MANDERasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether it is proposed to negotiate for a pact 1818 guaranteeing the independence of Abyssinia on the lines of the one proposed in the case of Austria
§ The LORD PRESIDENT of the COUNCIL (Mr. Baldwin)No, Sir. By the Tripartite Agreement of 1906, which is still in force, France, Italy and Great Britain undertook to co-operate in maintaining the political and territorial status quo in Ethiopia.
§ Mr. MANDER:Is not the independence of Abyssinia threatened quite as much as that of Austria, and could not these two documents be suitably discussed together at Rome?
§ Mr. BALDWINI think that my answer holds. I do not think that I can agree with my hon. Friend.