IN EGYPT

Hokitika Guardian, 13 July 1940, Page 5

IN EGYPT

-ALLIANCE TREATY

L3RD.. e HALIFAX’S STATEMENT.

(Per British Official Wireless.)

• 7;/ RUGBY, July 11. The Foreign Secretary (Lord Halifax),' in a statement in the Lords on the" position ,in;.,(the Eastern Mediterranean,'' recalled /.that the Egyptian Governmenti'had'. not declared Avar on Germany, last September i ..but broke off diplomatic; ‘ amd commercial relations, qpd took fall other measures necessary under/., the treaty of alliance. Egyyt had ' acted similarly when Italy entered the Avar, although the circumstances' Avere different, since the Mediterranean then became a war zone.

“In view of rumours .that have been spread by enemy propogancla, I wish to make it quite plain that, since Italy entered the war, the British Go\:cr.nnieiit;7has ■ never pressed the Egyptian Government to declare war on her. It was, however, obvious f that British forces in Egypt, which had ,at- the request of the Egyptian Government, been strongly:, reinforced, should conduct Operations against i Italy- ffoffi J fJ^gypt|fni''t§n'itory.” Britain' 7 intended to ■'fulfil;; her oldgations to defend Egypt, ind 1 Lord Halifax expressed satisfaction that the Egyptian, people-jJtdly understood that‘ -theip interests indissolubly linked; w|th7thpsd‘r : |)f...Aßritain, and that they regarded '’ltalian promises and .’fair wortls yith Avqll -founded suspicion. They remembered only too well, Italy’s action in Libya, Albania, and Abyssinia, and liad no illusions about the scope of totalitarian aspirations.

Enemy agents, however, had been insinuating if Egypt ignored her treaty . 'Obligations, she might avoid ; the ; : r#orst consequences of Italian aggression. Accordingly, many representative Egyptians had;bold that .a stronger Government was desirable in order to demonstrate Egypt’s determination to carry out tlie ; letter of, * Government, ,' to; intimate to its ally that this also was its iview, since the defence of Egypt devolved primarily upon us, and we had! a very-definite.i obligation under tho •treaty.if i. ' \r *. Tho ' King of Egypt had invited Ilasha.n Pasha to form : a 'pew Government. . While saving'thatl the British - Government .would hJive been happy ifw it’'had? been possible to ■associate; the Waft Party * with tho glad to say that the relations of the British Government with the, present Governnidht jate’ icoinf>l«tely' ; satisfactory. ; - h %\ ’’ .• » . •»■ J ENEMY ATTACKS^ ON BRITISH MOYAL^. (Received this day at 10.3(f' a.m.) NAIROBI, July 12. . ; A communique ~s(ateu,Ji£qvy enemy we persistently attacked British Moyale since dawn on .July. 10. They hayd already fired over a thousand shells. Our casualties are comparatively light-as far as .is known. All night long small arms fire surrounded at- t*M post, which is the centre of the attach, but the defence is still holding out. Reinforcements are ; -oA; route. Ground defences are being repaired during intervals in the artillery bombardment.

AFRICAN OPERATIONS. (Received this dav at. 11.5 ja.m.) LONDON, July 12. British military circles explained that while tberS,ate no big scale operations )in the Middle-east, the British force are .continuously,.jpaking* life extremely .unplensaiß for'the Italians in Libya. The weather and dusty conditions render -ft. big' jjoflensiye against onf '‘ forces 'in ' Egypt | unlikely at present. j ' i British. 'forces after the outbreak of the Italian war, immediately crossed the Libyan frontier and surprised Italians by capturing tfo forts, Capuzzo and. Maddalena. Our forces for. ten days virtually dominated a zone sixty miles deep, and inflicted losses oh small Italian ■: prisoners and occasionally guns, tanks and lorries. The Italians who have a quarter of. a milUoir^hjffep°P s in Libya ’ thou sent fairly strong columns and reoccupied the forts. The present position is that' Italians hold the forts, but- British' light mobile forces are harassing their supply columns, cutting off water supply, which reaches them by a pipeline. PARTIAL BLACK-OUT. (Received this dav at 11.5 a.to.). CAPETOWN, July 12. A partial black-out is being introduced for the. duration of the war. Government are contemplating other provisions against air-attacks, including mobilisation. Uf civil aviation resources and evacuation of children.