MIXED COURTS IN EGYPT

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXXVII, Issue 19803, 19 May 1934, Page 17

MIXED COURTS IN EGYPT

IMPORTANT ISSUES AT STAKE STATEMENT BY FOREIGN MINISTER United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph—Copyright (Received May 18, 7.30 pj».) LONDON, May 1 17. Sir John Simon (Minister of Foreign Affairs) answering a question in the House of Commons, regarding mixed courts in Egypt said the British Government had not yet received any proposals from the Egyptian Government for a modification of their constitution or usuage. Still less were they aware of any threat to denounce the conventions, under which the courts were constituted. He was nevertheless, 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 towards 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 technical and professional claim of the Egyptian judges, to equality with their foreign colleagues had already been recognised by the mixed Courts themselves; (2) While the use of Arabic in the pleading's and in giving evidence was already freely conceded, the suitability of that language for rendering and recording judgments, which must not only be based on the French law, but must be intelligible to all judges composing the Chamber, seemed at least open to doubt; (3) Mixed courts were not the only set of courts existing in Egypt. There were other national courts, which were purely Egyptian. The Minister pointed out that the peculiar importance of the mixed courts was due to the fact that they were created at once to relieve Egypt of a much greater burden imposed by the full consular jurisdiction, which had previously existed, and to safeguard the interests of foreign communities. Both these objects would have to be kept in view in dealing with any proposals for modifications.