FUTURE OF SUDAN

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 120, 23 May 1930, Page 9

FUTURE OF SUDAN

BRITAIN AND EGYPT

ISSUE IN NEGOTIATIONS

STORY OF BREAKDOWN

British Official Wireless.

(Received 23rd May, ll a.m.)

RUGBY, 22nd May.

Documents relating to recent abortive Anglo-Egyptian Treaty negotiations are published in the form of a White Paper. The discussions began on the basis of the British proposals of last year, which, were described by King Fuad a' the opening of the Egyptian Parliament as being inspired by a spirit of friendship and conciliation. These proposals were set out in sixteen draft clauses, and comparatively little difficulty was encountered in securing an agreement onl the first seven. They covered questions of ending the British occupation of Egypt; establishment of friendly alliance; Egypt's proposed membership of the League of Nations; agreement to concert together in event of dispute with third party; undertaking given by each contracting party not to create difficulties for the other in foreign countries; British recognition of Egypt's responsibility for lives and property of foreigners in Egypt; agreement of each to come to the aid of the other as ally should either become engaged iv war. INITIAL AGREEMENT. It also .proved possiblo at an early stago to reach an agreement on certain formal articles of the proposed draft. Regarding draft clauses 8 and 10 it was agreed that their, substance should be embodied in an exchange of Notes indicating Britain's appreciation of Egypt's desire to facilitate the progressive Egyptianisation of its Government services, but the termination of the employment of British officials should not involve replacement by some other foreign influence. There was much discussion on the next draft clause dealing with capitulations, but a complete agreement on this complex subject was reached. After discussion draft clause 12, re--1 ting to diplomatic, representations, was also accepted. A very lengthy discussion on the question of the defence of Suez Canal, which formed the basis of a draft clause, resulted in' an agreement to the concentration of British forces to the west of the Canal in the neighbourhood of Ismailia, subject to a reduction, from twenty-five to twenty years, of the period during which the freaty^ would not be. open to revision except by mutual consent. SUEZ AND SUDAN. It was early recognised that the Sudan, which was the subjee* of el use 13 of last' year's proposals, was likely to present a formidable problem, and, as events proved, it was the inability to reach an accord upon the phrasing of this article that caused the final breakdown. During the discussions an adjournment was sought to enable Nahas Pasha- to consult his colleagues -iv Cairo, and utlimately on sth May he communicated a complete but modified draft Treaty, with two alternatives for the Sudan article, together with a new draft of Notes annexed to the' Treaty. The alternative Egyptian drafts provided cither that the Sudan question should be reserved for future negotiations "within one year, or that it should be reserved for future negotiations and that, meanwhile, the do facto position obtaining in the. Sudan■before 1924 should be restored. A similar suggestion having already been rejected, Nahas Pasha was informed that unless ho agreed to the restoration of the British draft no Treaty was possible. • INACCEPTABLE OFFERS. At a meeting wjiich took place the following day the Egyptian deputation expressed a willingness to accept the British draft with two minor amendments, provided that the British agreed to their putting in a statement of their position in the form of a Note. The Note, however, was to the effect that the article did not in any way affect Egypt's right of sovereignty over the (Sudan, and the joint administration thereof by the two high contracting parties. The Egyptian delegation were informed that their countcr x draft and Note combined were inacceptablc. Agreement by now had been reached on all articles of the Treaty except the Sudan, and the White Paper gives the text of the draft as agreed. In the rearranged form the Sudan article became Article 11, and was left blank. •Further efforts to secure a settlement revealed Egyptian demand for the right of unrestricted immigration of Egyptian nationals into the Sudan, and it was. not possible to arrive at any formula to satisfy this. Further progress being impossible, the Egyptian delegation was finally informed that the Treaty could only be saved if it ; would accept the text of the Sudan article which, with agreed amendments, would read as follows: "While reserving liberty to new Conventions in the future modifying the conventions of 1899, and settling the _Sudan question, the high contracting parties agree that, without prejudice to Egypt's rights and material interests tho status of the Sudan shall be that resulting from the said conventions. Tho Governor-General shall continue to exercise on joint behalf of the high contracting parties tho powers conferred upon him by'the said conventions." REGRET AT FAILURE. A further Egyptian demand for modifications was declined, and the negotiations terminated. At the formal meeting which followed regret was expressed on both sides at the failure, and the Foreign Secretary, Mr. Henderson, made it clear that, if they found after discussion with their friends in Egypt that there was any hope of the draft treaty becoming an accepted instrument, it was still available, and he and his colleagues were prepared to try to reach an agreement with regard to a few remaining passages in the Note annexed to the Treaty in order to make signature possible.