HC Deb 18 December 1929 vol 233 c1425W
Mr. BOYCE

asked the Under-Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs (1) whether, during the conversations with Mahmud Pasha, which preceded the draft Anglo-Egyptian Treaty, the Government kept the Dominions of Australia and New Zealand fully informed of the course of the negotiations; and whether an opportunity was afforded to these Dominions to express their views upon the proposed terms of the Treaty before the Treaty was drafted;

(2) whether, before entering into the negotiations with Mahmud Pasha which resulted in the draft Anglo-Egyptian Treaty, the Government informed the Governments of Australia and New Zealand that such negotiations were impending; and, if so, upon what date or dates were each of these Dominions so informed?

Mr. LUNN

I presume that when the hon. Member in these questions refers to the draft Anglo-Egyptian Treaty he means the proposals which, if finally accepted by both parties, are to be embodied in a Treaty. As soon as Mahmud Pasha's proposals were in sufficiently concrete form, His Majesty's Governments in the Commonwealth of Australia and New Zealand were notified. They were also kept fully informed by telegraph of subsequent developments.