I will answer these two questions together. The official information which has reached the Foreign Office does not enable me to add anything material to what has appeared in the Press. His Majesty's Ship "Clematis" is at Jeddah, in order to protect British interests there. Both sides have been warned to take every precaution to safeguard the lives and property of any British Moslem subjects who may be in the area of hostilities.

His Majesty's Government have made it quite clear that they adhere to their traditional policy of non-interference in religious matters, and are not prepared to be entangled in any struggle for the possession of the Holy Places of Islam which may be entered upon by the independent rulers of Arabia. Only in the event of both the contending parties spontaneously asking for the good offices of His Majesty's Government, to assist them to settle their differences by peaceful arrangement, would His Majesty's Government be prepared to undertake such a task. I am unaware of any intervention on the part of either the Government of Iraq or of Egypt in the present struggle. There is no British representative attached to the Sultan of Nejd.