§ Sir A. Wilsonasked the Prime Minister whether he will state the precise terms of the agreement of April, 1936, between the Egyptian Government and the Suez Canal Company and how it affects the financial interests of His Majesty's Government as the principal shareholder?
§ Mr. ButlerThe agreement to which my hon. and gallant Friend refers never came into force, though it formed the basis of a subsequent agreement concluded in June, 1937. All the relevant texts were published in the Egyptian "Journal Officiel" of the 9th August, 1937, but I think the documents to which I refer below, and of which I am sending my hon. and gallant Friend copies, give the substance of the Agreement. The following are the documents
Letter from the President of the Egyptian Council of Ministers to the President of the Suez Canal Company, dated 4th May, 1936.Letter from the President of the Suez Canal Company to the Egyptian Minister of Finance, dated 24th May, 1937, together with Makram Ebeid Pasha's acknowledgment.Letter from the Agent Supçrieur in Egypt of the Suez Canal Company to the Minister for Finance, dated the nth June, 1937.The Agreement affects the financial interests of His Majesty's Government in the same way as those of other shareholders in the company.