§ Mr. ORMSBY-GOREasked the Prime Minister what are the chief subjects for discussion on the agenda of the forthcoming June meetings of the Council of the League of Nations; whether the British Government have given notice that they desire to raise the question of the Iraq mandate and the Iraq Treaty; if so, in what form; and whether the Government of Iraq has been informed of the instructions given to the British representative attending the Council of the League in this matter?
§ The PRIME MINISTERThe more important items of the agenda for the next meeting of the Council of the League of Nations relate to Russian and Greek refugees, traffic in women and children, the limitation of armaments, the financial reconstruction of Austria and Hungary, a number of questions affecting Danzig, certain minorities questions, the position of the Council in regard to military 907W control in Austria, Hungary and Bulgaria under the Peace Treaties, the position in Iraq, and a question in connection with the Albanian-Serb-Croat-Slovene frontier. His Majesty's Government have requested the Secretary-General of the League of Nations to have the question of Iraq placed on the agenda of the Council at their June meeting. At the same time they communicated to him the text of the Treaty signed with King Feisal in October, 1922, and of the documents subsidiary thereto, showing the terms on which His Majesty's Government are prepared, in accordance with the policy outlined to the Council of the. League by the right hon. Member for the English Universities (Mr. Fisher) in 1921, to give Iraq administrative advice and assistance in accordance with Article 22 of the Covenant. It was added that if, as was hoped, the Iraq Constituent Assembly accepted the Treaty and agreements subsidiary thereto, His Majesty's Government intended, after obtaining the assent of Parliament, to invite the Council of the League to adopt the documents submitted to them as defining the obligations of Great Britain in respect of Iraq; but that if the Constituent Assembly had not accepted the Treaty and subsidiary agreements before the next meeting of the Council, His Majesty's Government, might have no option but to obtain the authority of the Council for some alternative arrangement for carrying out in Iraq the provisions of Article 22 of the Covenant. His Majesty's High Commissioner at Baghdad has been authorised to bring to the notice of the Iraq Government the contents of the communication addressed to the Secretary-General of the League of Nations. No other communication has been made to them on the subject