HC Deb 22 May 1946 vol 423 c313
14. Mr. Henderson Stewart

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what commitments regarding the Sudan have been made by His Majesty's Government; and what claims have been advanced by the Egyptian Government in this respect.

Mr. Bevin

I take it that the hon. Member is referring to political commitments. So far as these are concerned, His Majesty's Government are bound by the Anglo-Egyptian Treaty of 1936 and by the Anglo-Egyptian Agreements regarding the Sudan of 10th January and 10th July, 1899, in which connection I would refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for the Isle of Wight (Sir P. Macdonald) on 10th February. I would also refer to the statement regarding the future of the Sudan made to the House in reply to a Question by my hon. Friend the Member for Swindon (Mr. T. Reid) on 26th March. No official claims have been formulated to His Majesty's Government by the Egyptian Government as regards the Sudan, but the question of the Sudan will be discussed in the course of the present negotiations for the revision of the Anglo-Egyptian Treaty of 1936.

Mr. Stewart

What I had intended to ask the Minister was whether, in the course of the preliminaries to the present negotiations with Egypt, any special commitments were made to the Sudan.

Mr. Bevin

No, Sir.