§ 9. Mr. Haleasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs what representations were made by the French Government to Her Majesty's Government under the Treaty of Algeciras, before the summary deposition of His Cherifian Majesty the Sultan of Morocco.
§ Mr. NuttingNone, Sir.
§ Mr. HaleIs the Under-Secretary not aware that at the time of the signing of the Treaty of Algeciras the then Sultan of Morocco refused to sign until he had received from the signatories the most specific assurances and guarantees about his individual and dynastic rule in Morocco? Is it not a fact that the French attitude in Tangier now is wholly inconsistent with the international character of the territory?
§ Mr. NuttingThe question asked me what representations were made by the French Government to Her Majesty's Government under the Treaty of Algeciras before the deposition of the Sultan of Morocco. The answer is that no representations were made because no representations were called for. The 2413 relations between the French Government and the Sultan of Morocco are not governed by the Treaty of Algeciras but by the Treaty of Fez, signed in 1912, between the French Government and the reigning Sultan. The British Government are not a party to the Treaty of Fez, and we cannot call upon the French Government for advice in advance of any decision made in the matter.
§ Mr. HaleIs it not a fact that the Treaty of Fez made no change in the suzerainty of the Sultan of Morocco, and that the signatories of the Treaty of Algeciras, including Germany, Russia, and Italy, are entitled to information before a settlement of this kind is reached?
§ Mr. NuttingNo, Sir, the Treaty of Fez replaces the Treaty of Algeciras.