مجموعة ٦/ ٢١(٢) "المملكة العربية السعودية: العلاقات مع حكومة بريطانيا: المفوضية السعودية في لندن والوزير البريطاني في جدة. تمديد معاهدة جدة." [و‎‎٢‎٨‎٦] (٧٦١/٥٧١)

( T> ' r 7 \
THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY’S GOVERNMENT
EASTERN (Arabia).
CONFIDENTIAL.
8236
19^5
-
November 6, 1935.
Section 1.
[E 4241/318/25]
Sir Samuel Hoare to Sir A. Rya7i (c/o Political Agent, Bahrein).
(No. 321.)
Sir, ^ Foreign Office, November 6, 1935.
AMONG the subordinate questions which will require settlement as a
preliminary to the proposed formal prolongation of the Treaty of Jedda is that
of the assurance given in the note of the 19th May, 1927, from Sir Gilbert Clayton
to King Abdul Aziz in regard to the export of arms and ammunition from the
United Kingdom to Saudi Arabia. For convenience of reference I enclose copies
of that document and of King Abdul Aziz’s reply thereto which are numbered (5)
and (6) in the series of notes exchanged at the time of the signature of the Treaty
of Jedda.
2. In your despatch No. 113 of the 11th April last, regarding the proposal
of the Saudi Government for the specific prolongation of the Treaty of Jedda,
you reported that the Deputy Saudi Minister for Foreign Affairs was anxious
to maintain the position created by these two notes, in regard to the question of
the export of arms from this country to Saudi Arabia. To this end Fuad Bey
had inserted the following paragraph in the draft note to prolong the Treaty of
Jedda, which, he suggested, should be addressed to you by the Saudi Minister for
Foreign Affairs :—
“ (2) The two letters exchanged between His Majesty the King and
General Clayton, dated the 17th DhuT Qada, 1345 (the 19th May, 1927), in
respect of the trade in arms, shall continue in force as long as the treaty itself
remains in force.”
You stated that you had taken the opportunity in the course of your discussion
with Fuad Bey to point out that His Majesty’s Government would have to
consider his proposal on this point, since the situation in regard to the trade in
arms had changed since 1927, and since, in particular, much attention had
recently been given to the purchase of arms abroad by belligerent countries.
3. The question of the assurance of His Majesty’s Government in regard
to the export of arms to Saudi Arabia was subsequently raised during the
conversations with the Deputy Saudi Minister for Foreign Affairs in London
last summer. Fuad Bey was informed at the final meeting on the 18th July
that His Majesty’s Government would be prepared in principle to extend the
validity of the Treaty of Jedda by means of an exchange of notes, provided that
a satisfactory settlement were reached on the question of slavery and the other
outstanding points of less importance. Among these was the question of the
supply of arms, and it was explained that it would be necessary for His Majesty’s
Government to quality their assurance on this point in order to bring it into
line with any existing or impending international commitments in regard to
arms traffic by which they were or might be bound. Any such qualification would,
however, be one of purely general application, involving no discrimination against
Saudi Arabia as such. In reply Fuad Bey expressed once more the objections
of his Government to any form of discrimination, and said that they could only
agree to safeguards, such as those involved in the “ special zones ” of the 1925
Arms Traffic Convention, if they were embodied in general terms applying to the
world as a whole. The discussions on this subject closed on the understanding
that a new formula would be drafted to embody the original assurance of His
Majesty’s Government in revised and up-to-date terms.
4. As a result of further examination of this matter I am advised that,
despite the doubt which prevails as to the exact legal connexion between the
Treaty of Jedda and the subsidiary notes exchanged at the same time, the under
taking given to King Abdul Aziz in Sir Gilbert Clayton’s note of the 19th May,,
1927, is actually co-terminous with the main treaty. It follows that the note
[556 f—1]