§ 35. Mr. Awberyasked the Secretary of State for the Colonies, in view of the declaration of the Ethiopian Haber Awal and Aidegalle tribes from the Ogaden which they made in Addis Ababa concerning their grazing rights, he will give an assurance that Her Majesty's Government will maintain the provisions of the Anglo-Ethiopian Agreement, 1954, concerning the former reserved area.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydI assume that the hon. Member is referring to certain statements reported by the Press in Ethiopia to have been made last July by a few individual members of the Habr Awal and Eidagalla tribes. These individuals are not representative and had no authority to speak for the two tribes, which are not Ethiopian tribes but are tribes from the Somaliland Protectorate which have grazing rights in the Haud and the former Reserved Area of Ethiopia in terms of the 1897 Treaty as confirmed by the 1954 Agreement, between Great Britain and Ethiopia.
I readily give the assurance that Her Majesty's Government will do everything in their power to maintain the provisions of the Anglo-Ethiopian Agreement of 1954, not only in respect of the Reserved Area but also of the Haud. It is their hope that the Imperial Ethiopia Government will do the same.
§ Mr. AwberyIs the Minister aware that the statement which he has made will give general satisfaction to the tribes concerned, because they depend so much upon their grazing rights? They have already sent a deputation to the Emperor, asking him to use his influence with this 640 Government to see that the Agreement is not interfered with.
§ Mr. Lennox-BoydI am grateful, as I am sure the tribes will be, to the hon. Gentleman