MIXED COURTS

Evening Star, Issue 21724, 19 May 1934, Page 15

MIXED COURTS

POSITION HI EGYPT STATEMENT BY SIR JOHN SIMON (British Official Wireless.) Vresa Association—By Telegraph—Copyright ' ■ . -RUGBY, May 17. Sir John Simon, answering questions in the House of Commons with regard to mixed courts in Egypt, said that the British. Government had not yet received any proposal's from the Egyptian Government for modification of their constitution or usage. Still - less was the Government aware of any threat to 'denounce the conventions under which the courts were constituted. He nevertheless was aware that several points connected with the organisation of these tribunals had recently attracted attention in Egypt. While he would not be'expected to formulate the attitude- of the Government tojvards claims which had not yet been put forward he might say that in'any further conversations with the Egyptian Government, as well as in consideration of' any official proposals which the Egyptian Government might put forward, the following ■ three-.points would be borne in mind:—

1. The and claim of Egyptian judges to equality with their • foreign _ colleagues had already been recognised by the mixed courts themselves. •

2. While the use of Arabic in pleadings and giving evidence was already freely conceded, the suitability of thatlanguage for rendering and recording judgments, which must hot only be based on French law but must bo intelligible to all judges composing the chamber, seemed at least open to doubt.

3. The mixed courts were not the only set of courts existing in Egypt; there were other national courts which were purely Egyptian. , The peculiar importance of the mixed courts was due to the fact, that they were created at once to relieve Egypt of the much greater _ burden imposed by the full consular' jurisdiction which previously existed and to safeguard the interests of the foreign' communities. Both these objects would have to be kept in view in dealing with any proposals for modifications.,-