§ LORD REAYMy Lords, I beg to ask the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether it is his intention to lay any Papers on the Table of the House on the subject of the negotiations with Turkey regarding the demarcation of the boundary between the vilayet of Yemen and the British sphere of influence to the north of Aden. Boundaries between Oriental states are, as a rule, left undetermined, and such a situation gives many openings to encroachment and dispute. I do not intend to go into the history of the various disputes which have arisen in recent years with regard to these boundaries. As between European Powers such a state of things is not tolerated, and it is therefore not unnatural that the Turkish Government itself proposed, I believe, in December, 1901, that the delimitation should take place of the boundary mentioned in my question. We may therefore confidently expect that, as this delimitation has taken place at the request of the Turkish Government, that Government will respect it in future. As regards the territory on the British side of the boundary, some questions arise which I may, perhaps, be allowed to indicate, and upon which the noble Marquess may be able to throw some light. I should like to ask, in the first place, whether this new boundary extends our sphere of influence. I suppose it does not. I also suppose that the boundary is considered by both Governments to be a definite and final boundary, and that we shall make it clear to the tribes that it is not elastic. Can the noble Marquess give us any information concerning the attitude of the tribes towards this limitation of their migratory propensities? By the Convention I take it that we incur a certain amount of responsibility for their good behaviour, 545 and that in the event of excursions or incursions of a tribe into Turkish territory the Turkish Government would have a right to ask us for redress. I wish, further, to inquire whether it is proposed to take any steps to guard the new boundary, and whether, with a view to this, there is any intention of increasing the garrison of Aden? The position of Aden is of the utmost importance, and it is on that ground that it seems to me most undesirable, unless clear evidence is forthcoming, to extend our responsibilities beyond the zone which we require to make us perfectly secure in Aden itself, so that we may concentrate all our strength on this outpost of our Eastern dominions. My friend the noble Marquess has such an intimate knowledge of the Aden Administration that I am sure he will appreciate the motives winch prompt me to put the Question standing in my name. I hope he will be able to communicate some Papers to show what the results of the Convention are likely to be.
§ THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS (The Marquess of LANSDOWNE)My Lords, I can well understand that my noble friend, as an ex-Governor of Bombay, should take an interest in the affairs of Aden and the adjoining tribes. Our interest in these tribes, and our desire to exert influence over them, is not of recent origin. Nor has our right to exert an influence of the kind ever, to the best of my belief, been seriously challenged by the Turkish Government. It is quite true that in 1873, when, after an interval of 240 years, the Turks reoccupied the province of Yemen, they made some attempt to revive ancient claims of sovereignty over these tribes; but the attempt was not seriously pressed. I may say with confidence that our recent discussions have had reference not to the status of the tribes so much as to the boundaries in which their territories were included. The question of the position of the tribes was disposed of in 1873, when a British force was sent to the assistance of the Chief of Lahej, who had been threatened by another local chief, assisted by Turkish troops. After the authority of the Chief of Lahej had been reasserted, a declaration was made by our Ambassador at Constantinople that His 546 Majesty's Government would not tolerate the interference of the Ottoman authorities in the territories of the nine tribes; and that declaration has been more than once repeated. But, my Lords, that declaration did not put a stop to local intrigues; and in 1885 there were considerable Turkish encroachments on the territory of the Amiri tribe. On that occasion, or soon afterwards, the village of Jalela, which commands the main road through that country, and which is eight or nine miles from the tribal border, was occupied by the Turks. The British Government thought it necessary to enter a formal protest, and to warn the Turkish Government that that occupation would not be permanently acquiesced in. In 1900 another incident arose: a Turkish subject occupied the fort of Ad-areja within the territory of one of the nine tribes; and it became necessary to send a British force to expel the intruders. Then followed various troubles upon the Amiri border, and in 1901 the Turkish Government of their own accord proposed to us that the limits of the nine tribes should be delimited by a Joint Commission. We had been on the point of making the same proposal ourselves, and we therefore gladly fell in with the view of the Turkish Government.
But no sooner had the Commission been appointed than the local encroachments began again; and in the year 1901 other points within the tribal territory were occupied by the Turks. The post at Jalela was reinforced, and a military cordon was drawn across the country in such a way as to render it virtually impossible for the work of delimitation to proceed. These occurrences led to considerable effervescence among the tribes, so much so that it became unsafe to move about the district, and in several cases persons connected with the British Commission were actually fired on. I mention all this to show how absolutely necessary it became that this question of the true limits of the tribal country should be once and for all authoritatively decided. In these circumstances we felt it to be our duty to press the Turkish Government to withdraw their troops without 547 the boundary of the tribal territory, and to restore the Amiri Chief, who had been in a special degree threatened by those usurpations, to his rightful position. For this purpose it was necessary to send up into the country a considerable military force. During the greater part of last year negotiations proceeded, of which the peculiar feature was this—that we received from the Turkish Government assurances which were upon the whole satisfactory; while most unfortunately the instructions which we had reason to believe were issued from Constantinople either did not reach the Turkish local authorities, or, if they did reach them, were disregarded. It became necessary to bring these matters seriously to the attention of the Turkish Government; and I am glad to say that within the last few days we have received information that the Turkish troops have been withdrawn from the tribal territory, that orders have been given for the commencement of the work of delimitation, and that it is now actually proceeding on the Amiri border.
As to my noble friend's inquiry whether the boundary which the Commission will lay down will be a final and definitive one, it is our intention that it should be final and definitive, and we anticipate that it will be respected. The Turkish Government themselves asked for this delimitation, and it is only fair to suppose that they will respect the boundary which will result from the work of the Commission. At any rate, it is our intention that it shall be respected. With regard to the attitude of the tribes themselves, some of them, undoubtedly, are much relieved at the departure of the Turkish troops, and have signified their satisfaction in the most unmistakable terms. I am bound to say, however, with regard to some of the tribes, that the events of the last few years have so unsettled them—they have been in such doubt as to the outcome of this controversy—that it would not be surprising to find that for a time they remained in a somewhat perturbed state. With regard to our responsibility for these territories, I do not see why what has taken place should make any difference in those responsibilities. We have never desired to interfere with the internal and domestic 548 affairs of the tribes. On the other hand, we have throughout made it perfectly plain that we should not tolerate the interference of any other Power with them. With regard to the Aden garrison, we have been obliged to increase it considerably in view of the state of unrest which arose in the district; but I feel confident, although I have no authority from my military advisers to say so, that when the country settles down it will be possible largely to reduce the force now upon the spot. As to laying Papers on the Table, I do not think it would be desirable while the delimitation is still proceeding, and while we are still in negotiation with the Turkish Government, to do so. At a later date I may be able to supply my noble friend with some information of the kind he desires; but I am sure that he will not differ from me when I say that, as this controversy has at last a prospect of being amicably disposed of, it would not be desirable to publish documents which might have the effect of reviving the acuter stages of the discussion—stages which, as far as we are concerned, we would gladly allow to be forgotten.