'الملف 10/3 IV الامتياز النفطي بقطر' [و‎‎٢‎٨] (٥٣٤/٨٠)

I' )
7.
the standing exair.ple of Trinidad where not less than
50 of the oil had to be refined locally. Mr>Agnevj ,
however, thought that a modern Agreement made in London
might have great weight, and he mentioned that British
Companies were coming up against this difficulty more
and more in their relations with foreign countries.
They would rather give H .M .G# their safeguard in some
other way than in a formal public document, Mr. Seal
said that the Admiralty felt that in Qatar they might go
rather further in insisting on their refining desiderata
than in Eoweit though, if course, they would not press
the Company beyond reason . Mr. Agnew suggested as a
possible solution that the I.P.O. might be asked to give
H.M.G, a letter saying that the Company would be
prepared at all times to discuss with H.M.G. the question
of refining and that H.M.G* would have the right as soon
as production in Qatar amounted to a modern refining
unit to ask the Company to erect a refinery. He explained
that this would mean the erection of a refinery when
production reached say 2,000 tons a day or 700,000 tons
a year. They would expect H.M.G. to treat them
reasonably in regard to this obligation if it proved
impossible to find a market for the oil. At all costs
he wished to avoid the appearance of a refining clause
ii/a formal Agreement. Sir Louis Kershaw asked whether
this letter would be obtained before the Government
Agreement was signed. Mr. Agnew said he thought it
would be best that the letter should be sent say a month
after the signature of the Government Agreement but
that a guarantee might be obtained before signature of
the Agreement that such a letter would be forthcoming.
He/