§ 15. Colonel Wedgwoodasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, whether he has any information as to the anti-Jewish troubles in Iraq; and whether, in view of our treaty with Iraq, it is intended still to afford any protection to Jews in that state.
§ Mr. EdenAs regards the first part of the Question, I have no confirmation of the Press reports to which the right hon. Gentleman no doubt refers, but I have addressed an inquiry on the subject to His Majesty's Ambassador at Bagdad. Meanwhile the right hon. Gentleman will have seen that the Iraqi Minister in London has issued in the Press an official denial of the rumours in question. As regards the second part of the Question, the Anglo-Iraqi Treaty and Alliance contains no provisions regarding the protection of minorities, but this point was 2651 dealt with in the Declaration of Guarantees made by the Iraqi Government when Iraq was admitted to membership of the League of Nations. The information at my disposal shows that the Iraqi Government are fully alive to their responsibilities in this matter.
§ Colonel WedgwoodWill the right hon. Gentleman continue to impress upon the Iraq Government the importance of the protection of all minorities in that country?