CO129-426 - Public Offices - 1915 — Page 208

[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government

204

4156

REC

REGE 27 JAN 15

OPIUM.

CONFIDENTIAL.

[79799]

No. 1.

[December 7.]

SECTION 1.

Sir A. Johnstone to Sir Edward Grey.-(Received December 7.)

(No. 333. Very Confidential.) Sir,

The Hague, December 4, 1914.

AS you are aware from Mr. Chilton's despatch No. 133 of the 4th August last, the Netherlands diplomatic agent at Cairo was instructed by M. Loudon at the commencement of that month, and in accordance with a notification from His Majesty's Government, to address a formal note to the Egyptian Government inviting them to adhere to the International Opium Convention.

M. Doude told me to-day that, in view of present international complications, the Netherlands Government had suggested to their agent in October that perhaps the adhesion of Egypt had better be postponed till after the war, and had offered, as an excuse which might be put forward to delay action, the fact that the convention must be signed at The Hague. But the Egyptian Minister for Foreign Affairs had at the cominencement of November replied that a member of the Dutch Ministry for Foreign Affairs at The Hague could be granted full powers to sign for the Egyptian Government

The Netherlands Minister for Foreign Affairs is unwilling to take any further action without reference to His Majesty's Government, and has therefore asked me to enquire, most confidentially and privately, if you have any objection to the course proposed by the Egyptian Government.

I have the honour to enclose a copy of a letter just received from M. Donde with reference to our conversation of this morning.

Enclosure in No. 1.

I have, &c.

ALAN JOHNSTONE.

M. Doude to Sir A. Johnstone.

BUX

M. le Ministre,

La Haye, le 4 décembre, 1914. POUR compléter la conversation que je viens d'avoir avec votre Excellence, je mentionne qu'Adly Jeghen Pacha suggérait subsidiairement (pour parer inconvénients d'une signature de la convention à La Haye) de munir d'un plein pouvoir ad hoc un fonctionnaire du Ministère des Affaires Etrangères à La Haye; ce procédé, disait Adly Pacha, a été appliqué dans le passé pour plusieurs autres conventions internationales dont la signature devait s'effectuer à l'étranger,

Veuillez, &c.

W. DOUDE VAN TROOSTWIJK.

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