Coll 6/9 'Jeddah Reports Jany 1931–' [‎55v] (111/802)

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II .—Frontier Questions and Foreign Relations in Arabia.
171. The mission from Iraq to the Yemen (paragraph 122) left Jedda lor
Hudaida on the 8 th April. According to the Saudi Government, the delegation
will try to induce the Imam to accept the Saudi-Iraq Treaty of Friendship and
Alliance as it stands, and, if he refuses, will suggest that he should sign it with a ^
! reservation disclaiming obligations to any country not a party to the treaty.
Ibn Baud, who is bound by article 17 of the Covenant of the League and by the
Kellogg Pact, thought it hard that Iraq should be prepared to offer more generous
terms to the Yemen than to him. but considered it beneath his dignity to say so to j
the delegation.
172. On the departure of the Iraq delegation the Saut-al-Hejaz published an
article on Arab unity, which it described as no longer a thing of the imagination,
but a tangible fact. ' The article concluded : “ We pray for their success in their
work, and take the opportunity to reassure the Arabs of the different parts of the
peninsula as to the future of their problem. For this young kingdom and its
Iraq colleague, in spite of the weight of their burden, will continue to strive to
that end with all their strength."
173. Ibn Baud seems to have been touched by the splendid reception which
was accorded to the Amir Baud in Iraq, where he spent some nine days, from the
27th March to about the 5th April.
174. Ibn Baud has raised again the question of the exploitation of any oil
that there may be in the Koweit Neutral Zone. Having got himself into a hole
by giving an option over his share to the Standard Oil Company, he is asking for
the advice of His Majesty’s Government as to the best way of getting something
done. The raising of the question at this moment may give colour to the fears
expressed by the sheikh, two or three years ago, that Ibn Baud might use the
blockade as a means of blackmail to ensure the exploitation of the oil in the
neutral zone, but probably Ibn Baud’s lack of money and the disappointment
attending the search for minerals and gold in Saudi Arabia are sufficient to
explain his appeal to His Majesty’s Government, though the recent visit of certain
London and New York directors of the Standard Oil Company may have had
something to do with it.
175. The latest Saudi proposals regarding the Koweit blockade have been
sent to all concerned, but without much hope of a settlement on that basis. The
Saudi Government have dropped three of their proposals, viz., that every caravan
from Saudi Arabia should be accompanied by a Koweit or a Saudi official, that
such caravans should only leave on specified days, and that no Bedouin should
be allowed to shop in Koweit unless in possession of a Saudi permit specifying
what and how much he might buy. On the other hand, they say they feel compelled
to insist that Saudi subjects making personal purchases should only leave in
parties which should conform to the procedure applicable to caravans, and that
“ Bon-Voisinage ” and Extradition Agreements should come into force
(paragraph 114) at the same time as the trade agreement.
176. Thanks to the receipt of information from the High Commissioner at
Jerusalem, the Legation was able to inform Ibn Saud, before he had heard the
report published in a Damascus newspaper that there was a Jewish plot to
assassinate the Mufti, that the report was baseless.
177. Mr. Daniel Oliver, a Quaker schoolmaster well known in the Lebanon,
spent a few days at Jedda this month. Owing to his attitude towards the
Palestine question, he had been recommended to Ibn Saud by Fuad Bey.
Ibn Saud came down to Shumaisi to meet him. Mr. Oliver professed to be well
satisfied with the interview, and to be convinced of Ibn Baud’s good sense and
moderation in regard to the problem of Palestine, but he said that Ibn Saud did
not disguise the gravity of the crisis. Mr. Oliver had intended to make an
attempt to see the Imam, but abandoned his plan for lack of time. His Majesty’s
Minister conveyed to the Saudi Government a warning that Mr. Oliver had no
authority to speak on behalf of His Majesty’s Government.
178. Sheikh Yusuf Yasin referred with satisfaction to a recent meeting to
discuss affairs in general between Major Glubb, Officer Commanding, Desert Area,
and Abdul Aziz-bin-Zaid, the Saudi Frontier Inspector.
1 179. At the end of the month news was received from the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency.
in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. of trouble between Bahrein and Qatar as to the allegiance of
the Naim tribe at Zubara, and of the possibility that the Naim, who appeared to