أوراق مطبوعة عن الوضع السياسي والسياسة العسكرية في مصر [و‎‎٣‎١] (١٧٦/٦١)

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delegation should be a truly representative one, and i indicated that it would seem
desirable to include Zaghlul Pasha and perhaps one or two of his associates, as
well as Adly Pasha Yeghen, who had been of great assistance in the conversations
which had taken place with Lord Milner in London. The delegation should be
sufficiently authoritative to ensure that the agreement to be concluded would be
accepted by the Legislative Assembly to which it would eventually be submitted.
Negotiations were thereupon opened by His Highness with Mazloum Pasha,
President of the (Suspended) legislative Assembly, Mohamed Tewfik Nessim Pasha,
President of the Council, and Adly Yeghen, Mohamed Said, Hussein Rushdy,
Yusuf Wahba and Ismail Sirry Pashas, with a view to the formation of a Coalition
Government from which the delegation could be chosen. This scheme broke down,
principally because the Sultan desired to stipulate that Mohamed Said Pasha should
remain in Egypt in charge of the Ministry wffiile the delegation was in London, a
course to which Adly Pasha was resolutely opposed. In the event, Mazloum Pasha
withdrew his candidature for the Presidency of the Council, and Adly Pasha was
summoned to form a Ministry. Tewfik Nessim Pasha, who had administered the
affairs of the country for ten months with conspicuous courage and success during
a period of great anxiety and uncertainty, agreed to resign, and Adly Pasha’s
Ministry, composed as under, took office on the 17th March :—
Prime Minister (without portfolio) : Adly Pasha Yeghen.
Vice-President of the Council (without portfolio) : Hussein Pasha Rushdy.
Minister of the Interior : Abdel Khalek Pasha Sarwat.
Minister of Education : Gafar Pasha Waby.
Minister of Justice : Abdel Eattah Pasha Yehia.
Minister of Communications : Ahmed Pasha Ziwer.
Minister of Finance : Ismail Pasha Sidky.
Minister of Agriculture : Neguib Pasha Ghali.
Minister of Wakfs : Midhat Pasha Yeghen.
Minister of Public Works : Mohamed Pasha Shafik.
4. There can be no doubt of the general popularity at that time of the choice
of Adly Pasha as Prime Minister. The Ministry was a strongly Nationalist one,
and its published programme aimed at the conclusion of an agreement with Great
Britain which would “put the independence of Egypt beyond doubt.” The
programme was, in fact, scarcely less extreme than that of Zaghlul himself, and
gave rise from the first to doubts as to whether it could be realised in negotiation.
5. The following account of the negotiations between Adly Pasha and Zaghlul
Pasha affords an illuminating comment on the latter’s claim to the character of a
disinterested patriot. On accepting office, Adly Pasha immediately issued an
invitation to Zaghlul Pasha at Paris to collaborate with him in the formation of
a delegation. In reply, Zaghlul Pasha laid down the following conditions for his
participation in the negotiations :—
(1.) The press censorship to be suppressed.
(2.) Martial law to be withdrawn.
(3.) The protectorate to be abolished and Zaghlul’s reservations accepted.
(4.) Zaghlul’s organisation or “Wafd " to have the presidency of the official
delegation and a majority among the members.
6. At the same time Zaghlul announced his impending return to Egypt, where
he arrived on the 5th April and was received by the wildest display of enthusiasm.
Order was, however, maintained, to a large extent owing to the good behaviour of
the crowds themselves. ZaghluTs conditions were, of course, quite unacceptable
to His Majesty’s Government, who declined to commit themselves to the extent
demanded in advance of the negotiations. Condition (4) w^as equally unacceptable
to Adly Pasha, and all hope of collaboration between the two was abandoned when
Zaghlul declared to a representative of the “Egyptian Gazette”: I have done
all the work; I have suffered, and I have the confidence of the Egyptian people,
and I will not see the credit for what I have done taken away from me by Adly
Pasha or anyone else.” It is pertinent in this connection to recall the fact that,
such was the intractability of Zaghlul Pasha in his discussions with Lord Milner’s
Mission in London in the summer of 1920, that without Adly Pasha’s conciliating
influence the discussions would never have gone beyond the initial stages. This
declaration w r as followed by a speech in which Zaghlul Pasha compared Adly Pasha