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Coll 15/1 'Egypt Affairs: General Situation 1931; Anglo-Egyptian Treaty, 1936' [‎17v] (35/493)

The record is made up of 1 file (246 folios). It was created in 15 May 1931-10 Dec 1947. It was written in English. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .

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14
had in fact been that article 2 dealt with
the initiation of active measures which
would already have been agreed by the
Governments on the basis of recommenda
tions of the Joint Defence Board, and that
any consultation specifically mentioned in
this article would be the purest formality.
On the other hand, the Egyptians had
refused to be committed to ‘ ‘ measures
so far as the ‘ ‘ neighbouring ’ ’ countries
were concerned. They insisted that any
threat to such a country {e.g., Iraq) must
first be the subject of consultation, and
since article 3 was specifically designed to
cover questions of consultation, it was in
article 3 that the relevant provisions should
appear. On this basis agreement was
reached with Sidky Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. in the forms
shown in the final version of the treaty
reproduced at Annex 6. So far as the rest
of article 3 is concerned, Sidky Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders.
insisted on the addition to the second para
graph of the phrase k ‘ The (Joint Defence)
Board is an advisory body." Similarly, in
the third paragraph, Sidky insisted on its
being provided that the board’s examina
tion of the <£ military repercussions of the
international situation ’ ’ should take place
“ on the invitation of, and on the informa
tion supplied by, the two Governments
(see Annex 6). As regards the minor
points of difference on articles 5 and 6 (see
paragraph 26), it was agreed to omit the
suggested reference to article 43 of the
Charter from article 5. The Egyptians
stoutly maintained their wording of
article 6, but finally agreed to a reference to
the International Court in the form of a
reference to the declarations made by both
sides under article 36 (2) of the statute of
the court.
43. So far as evacuation was concerned,
the Foreign Secretary represented very
strongly the contradiction between Egyp
tian professions of friendship and the
excessive speed with which Egyptians
wished to rid their territory of British
troops. Acceptance of the Egyptian esti
mate that one or two years was a sufficient
period for evacuation would either mean
that British troops would have to go all the
way back to the United Kingdom before
going to their new stations, or else would
have to go to stations which had not been
adequately fitted out for them and where
they would suffer great discomfort. Sidky
Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. emphasised the strength of Egyp
tian national sentiment on this point, but
finally agreed that evacuation should be
completed by 1st September, 1949, or earlier
if possible.
44. Much preparatory work had also
been done, before Sidky Pasha’s arrival,
on the question of the Sudan. In the stat^*
ment to the House of Commons quoted in
paragraph 30 above, the Foreign Secretary
had stated that the view of His Majesty’s
Government was that no change should be
made in the status of the Sudan as a result
of treaty revision until the Sudanese had
been consulted through constitu^pal
channels. Any concession to the E & yp-
tians on the sovereignty question had there
fore to be scrutinised in the light of this
pledge. High legal authority, however,
declared that, in fact, the Egyptian
monarch had been sovereign of the Sudan
throughout the period of the Anglo-Egyp-
tian condominium, though the agreement
establishing the condominium had created
rights for the United Kingdom in the
shape of the nomination of the Governor-
General and, in practice, virtual control of
the administration. No breach of the
pledge would therefore be involved in
admitting, in a Sudan protocol, that a
union existed between the Sudan and
Egypt in the shape of a common Crown.
As will be clear from the foregoing, and as
was emphasised by Sidky Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. both
before and after his arrival, no formula
was acceptable to Egypt which did not
recognise the existence of this union. On
the other hand, the Egyptian Government,
it was repeatedly stated, did not claim any
share in the administration of the country-
On this basis the first tentative drafts of a
new Sudan protocol were evolved.
45. The crucial point in the discussions
on the Sudan was the insistence of the
Foreign Secretary that when they werq
ready for self-government the Sudanese
should be free to choose their future status
and, if they so desired it, choose inde
pendence. Having regard to subsequent
developments, the following extract from
the minutes of the second meeting on 19th
October is reproduced in ea)tenso :—
The Secretary of State insisted that
the situation should be made perfectly
clear. He asked Sidky Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. to say if
the Sudanese were being given a chance
to be free or if the Egyptians were seek
ing a lasting settlement of sovereignty.
It must be quite clear that the Sudanese
were free to renounce the sovereignty of
Egypt if they so wished. Great Britain
had held a position in the Sudan which
she was being asked to surrender, and
before she did so he must be perfectly
clear on this particular point.
Sidky Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. replied that nothing in
the Sudan would be changed vis-a-vis
England. On the question of sovereignty
he felt it was impossible to speak now.

About this item

Content

The file comprises telegrams, despatches, correspondence and government printed papers. On the front of the file is written in red ink 'Secret Cupboard'.

The correspondence concerns the general situation in Egypt in the periods 1931-1937 and 1945-1947. Correspondence also discusses the issues relating to the negotiation and conclusion of the Anglo-Egyptian Treaty 1936, including:

  • negotiating points
  • concessions
  • capability of the Egyptian army
  • location of British military facilities
  • the significance of the Suez Canal as an 'artery of communication' for the British empire

The main correspondents include: the Secretary of State for Dominion Affairs; the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia; the Minister of External Affairs, Union of South Africa; and HBM High Commissioner to Egypt and the Sudan (Sir Miles Lampson).

The file includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.

Extent and format
1 file (246 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged in rough chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 246; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio.

Written in
English in Latin script
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Coll 15/1 'Egypt Affairs: General Situation 1931; Anglo-Egyptian Treaty, 1936' [‎17v] (35/493), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2762, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100043038405.0x000026> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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