Egyptian Sudan 72 He is undoubtedly its most truthful interpreter, for he is the one who drafted it. What the reader sees in his report for 1901 and 1903, the following is quoted: "Note in the proceedings of the Legislative Council regarding appropriations his statement: 'The Council approves the proposed expenditures for Sudan because it considers Sudan an inseparable part of Egypt.' This opinion is indeed correct, as the system of political rule in Sudan is in any case bound by the agreement concluded between Great Britain and Egypt, signed on January 19, 1899. Since it is likely that some members of the Council are not fully aware of the content of that agreement, I take this opportunity to explain that there was no intention or desire when it was drafted to encroach upon Egypt's legitimate rights. The primary objectives that led the drafters of that agreement were, firstly, to establish and maintain a good government for the Sudanese nation, and secondly, to avoid the specific complications created by the international system of governance in Egypt." In the 1903 report, he states: "I have sometimes been asked: Why does not the British Treasury bear a portion of the administrative expenses in Sudan, as long as the British flag flies alongside the Egyptian flag in its territories? This is a natural question, but the answer to it is very easy for all who are familiar with the history of the January 19, 1899 agreement, by virtue of whose provisions Sudan was created with a special political status. Its government was formed for an explicit purpose, which was to shield Sudan – and consequently Egypt when it governed those provinces – from all those obstructive international conditions that have a significant share in complicating administration in Egypt. Were it not for this consideration, there would have been no reason from the British perspective to raise the British flag over Khartoum, more than raising it over