"ملف 19/243 ( I (C 69 الزبارة" [و‎‎٩‎٣] (٤١٦/١٩٢)

95
"11
At ray request Shaikh Nasir bin Atieh and Saleh
bin Mana came to see me yesterday. I questioned them
on the course of the negotiations. It appeared that no
progress had been made and that both sides had contented
themselves with saying that Zubarah belonged to them.
They informed me that Shaikh Abdullah bin *Jsa had
stated Bahrain's terms and they were that Zubarah should
be part of Bahrain, import dues not to be levied on
Zubarah or the Na^m and export dues to be levied on
goods leaving Zubarah on the land side. The oil posi
tion was to be left indeterminate. I asked if they
had questioned Shaikh Abdullah bin 'Isa carefully with
regard to what he meant about oil but they said that
they had not. They further stated that the terms were
such that it would not be worth while informing Shaikh
* Abdullah bin Qassim. i asked them what their instruc
tions were from Shaikh 'Abdullah bii^ Qassim and it
appeared that they had not received any concise instruc
tions at all. i pointed out to them that it was fear
them to question the Bahrain representatives fully with
regard to the proposition put forward by them and that
they should not content themselves with merely saying
"No" or "Impossible^. They were representatives and
negotiators and they should do all they could to search
for some way round the obstacle. Saleh bin Mana then
gave me a history of Qatar's claim to Zubarah and i
then asked Shaikh Nasir bin Atieh if, according to Arab
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custom, a house was built and then left unoccupied for
many years and then the descendant of the builder re
turned to the house, to whom would the house be considered
to belong. Shaikh Nasir was unwilling to answer this
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question and although it was explained to him by myself
and/-