§ Mr. KINGasked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs whether Belgium proposed by legislation, passed in 1897, to compel aliens to serve in her Civic Guards; whether this country or any other Power protested at that time against this proposal; and, if so, with what result?
§ Sir E. GREYBy Article 8 of the Belgian Law, of 9th September, 1897, foreigners in Belgium, after residence of a year, become liable to service in the Civic Guard. Exceptions are made in the case of those exempted by Treaty stipulations. When the law was passed there were in existence Treaties between Belgium and seventeen foreign States, which contained clauses providing for exemption from service in Civic Guards. The same privilege was enjoyed by the subjects of five other foreign countries in virtue of the special wording of the Most-Favoured-Nation Clauses of their Treaties with Belgium. It was at first held by the Belgian Government that the ordinary Most-Favoured-Nation Articles of Commercial Treaties did not confer the privilege referred to above. As this decision, however, affected the nationals of Great Britain, France, Germany, the United (States, etc., representations were made to the Belgian Government by the British Minister, at Brussels, and by some of his colleagues, with the result that it was reversed, and the Belgian Government agreed to extend the privilege of exemption to the subjects of all those countries whose Treaties contained those Most-Favoured-Nation Clauses. Accordingly, instructions were issued to the Belgian recruiting "bureaux" to the effect that foreigners, who by their passports could establish their nationality, were not to be called upon for service in the Civic Guard. As regards British subjects, they were exempted from the service in question, in virtue of the Most-Favoured-Nation Clause of the then existing Treaty with Belgium (23rd July, 1862). All the privileges enjoyed by them under that 747W Treaty were continued under the guarantee of the Anglo-Belgian Commercial modus vivendi, of 27th July, 1898.