'Muscat Rising, from April 1917 to January 1918 & resumed from April 1920 to Oct 1920' [‎21r] (50/558)

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We cannot leave Musost to find ItB own 8 »lvation in
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its own way owing to its position athwart the main route
to Bagdad Basra and the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. . Our §plicy has been
bound up with the plaoe for more than a century and it oannc
be allowed to fall into the hands of anyone who might be
even unfriendly and we are accordingly tied here by our inte
ests 9 and there is no course open to us but to continue to
support the Sultan in the present Juncture.
It only remains to consider what should be the nature
and form of that support in giving which we assume a great
moral responsability.
It will be our duty to remove all legitimate
oause for complaint which may exist and to see that the
%
country oas a government waich is jost, equtable, and firm*
2?ae Sultan is already aware that without \ir
assistance his permanent rule is Impossible. It remains for
to impress upon the tribes that without our approval their
very existanoe is a matter of difficulty, but it is evident
that a«y decision whi^i may be arrived at as to o'jr future
action i whether that action be of a peaceful or forcMMbA
nature, we shall of nacessity be responsible that peace
conditions are maintained.
ji
Such being the case and whatever the amount
.
of interference we may be compelled to make, our freedom of
action wili be fettered by the French Agreement of 1$63 «|d
it would appear that n w is the moment to get that Agreement
rescinded.
Prenoh interest in Muscat in recent years if
due to the French and Russian combination of some 30 yeara
■ ago, waich was made with lihe object of diminishing British
influence in tne Persian CKilf.
M
foday Prance has one subject in Muscat and
but little interest in Oman beyond the 12 dhows which still
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id