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EGYPT.
(Previous
Reference: Cabinet 30 (28), Con-
clusion 6.)
5. The Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs informed the Cabinet that King Fuad of Egypt had intervened in the situation, had dismissed the Government of Nahas Pasha, and had formed a new Government under Mohammed Mahmoud. This new
Government was probably less hostile to us than that of Nahas Pasha. From telegrams Nos. 340 and 341 from Lord Lloyd, at Cairo, it appeared that the Egyptian Parliament would probably be suspended for two or three years, during which the situation would be studied with a view to introducing a system of representative government better adapted to the needs and understanding of the Egyptian people. It happened that Hafiz Afifi, the new Egyptian Foreign Minister, was in London and had made certain tentative proposals, which are referred to in the Conclusions given below.
After hearing further details of the position from the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, and after considerable discussion, the Cabinet agreed
(a) To approve the proposal of the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs that, in accordance with his public declarations that we had no desire to interfere with the Egyptian Constitution, he should abstain from giving counsel to King Fuad and the new Egyptian Foreign Minister if they decide to govern at present without a Parlia- ment, but should continue to work with the new régime provided that it complies with our own rights and responsibilities under the Declara- tion of 1922:
(b) That the Secretary of State for
Foreign Affairs should adopt a reserved attitude towards any proposal that the Egyptian Foreign Minister might make for a Military Agreement, since the moment is inopportune for such negotiations, as the Egyptian Government is about to carry out a political coup d'etat:
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