MENACE TO EGYPT

Waikato Times, Volume 127, Issue 21196, 20 August 1940, Page 5

MENACE TO EGYPT

SHOULD ENTER THE WAR ALLIANCE WITH BRITAIN INDICTMENT OF ITALIANS (United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright) (Received August 20, 11 a.m.) CAIRO* August 19 Ahmed Maher Pasha, President of the House of Deputies and a leader of the Saadist Party, urged Egypt to enter the war, in order to safeguard its independence against the threatened Italian invasion. “Egyptians must unite and cooperate with the British in an effort to repulse the common foe,” he said. “The Italian troop concentrations on the Egyptian border obviously threaten this country, therefore it is the duty of the Egyptians to defend their soil and assist Britain in accordance with the alliance. Despite Mussolini’s promise to respect Egypt's territorial integrity the Italians have indiscriminately bombed Egyptian towns. The public no longer asks whether we shall enter the war, but when.” The Egyptian Minister of Finance has ordered new sequestrations of Italian property at Suez, Cairo and Heliopolis. Italians registered with the Cairo police number 12,500. British Bombing Raids We made numerous bombing raids and reconnaissances in Somaliland, with a view to breaking up convoys and motorised units and harassing the troops advancing on Berbera. Considerable damage was done. We lost one plane, from which the crew baled out. A direct hit was registered on four hangars. A petrol fire was started at Addis Ababa. All our planes returned.