File 18/1919 Pt 2 ‘Persia: Expenditure payments for maintenance of Cossack Division’ [‎215r] (61/70)

[This I -eminent Is the Property of His Britannic Majesty’s Government, anefl should
be returned to the Foreign Office If not required for official &gse.]
Uj
POIJTICAL
PERSIA
Cjrpher telegram to Mr.Norman, (Teheran),
Foreign Office, November 5th.1920, 2.30.p.m.
No.532.
Very Urgent.
Cabinet have now discussed situation created by
recent political changes carried out under your
auspices at Teheran. In ray telegram No.521 (of
October 29th) I remarked that policy of His Majesty’s
Government remains unaffected by these events. Buu
it is necessary to be absolutely explicit on this
point. As far back as June we insisted upon summoning
of Medjlis and submission of Anglo-Persian Agreement
to that body within a period of four months, and we
refused to continue subsidy beyond that period. In
spite of your repeated assurances that elections were
being expedited, it is impossible to avoid conclusion
that for whatever reason the engagements of Persian
Government in this respect have been deliberately
ignored. We are thus confronted with fact that,
though it is now fifteen months since the Agreement was
signed, no serious attempt has been made by two suc
cessive Persian Governments to submit it to approval
of Persian Parliament. We cannot allow this evasion
to continue, and we must insist that Medjlis he con
vened in the course of a month from now, that Agreement
vu t)e placed before it, and that decision to accept or
reject