§ LORD LAMINGTONMy Lords, I rise to ask His Majesty's Government whether it is a fact that no British troops now remain in Syria and Cilicia; whether all British civilian subjects have left Syria; if not, what British representative there is to look after their interests; and what number of British troops there are in Palestine and what is the most northerly post they occupy.
§ VISCOUNT PEELMy Lords, in reply to the first Question, British troops have now been withdrawn from Cilicia and Syria, with the exception of some troops awaiting embarkation at certain ports. The replies to the second and third Questions have been supplied to me by the War Office. I have no information of any general exodus of British civilians from Syria. Mr. Wratislaw has been appointed H.M. Consul at Beirut, and is leaving shortly for his post. Until other arrangements can be made the United States Government has instructed then Consuls at Damascus and Beirut to take charge of British interests. As to the fourth Question, there will remain in Palestine, as post-war garrison, one Indian Infantry Division and one British Cavalry Brigade. The most northern line occupied there is approximately from Ras-en-Nakhura, about half-way between Tyre and Haifa, on the coast, to the marshes north of Lake Tiberias.