'File 73/7 III (D 24) Status of Kuwait & Anglo-Turkish negotiations' [‎106r] (224/709)

and the adjacent territory is formally secured to Koweit, while the railway
is only to be continued to Koweit on conditions to be agreed to by us, the
right of pre-emption loses much of its importance, its object having been to
prevent the terminus of the railway from falling into foreign hands. We
finally decided not to raise the question.
Article 4.—Hakki Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. was very anxious to have a re-assertion of Lord
Lansdowne's assurances of 1901, and there seemed no substantial objection
to making it.
Articles 5 and 7.—It seemed advisable to make the concession recognising
two kinds of Koweit territory, and in return for it we got a rectification of
our original southern border, so as to include Anta'a. Warba and Bubiyan,
of course, were difficult for him to surrender, but we insisted. Article G
secures for all practical purposes the same autonomy for the Sheikh in the
larger as in the smaller area. We refused to allow a right of way for Turkish
troops.
In Article 8 Hakki Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. tried to commit us to Turkish protection for the
line and Furkish customs. The wording adopted leaves all such questions
open, while making their ultimate solution subject to British approval.
Articles 10-13 evict the Turks completely from Bahrein and El Katr. In
exchange we give them the island of Zakhnuniya (for which, however, they
will pay the Sheikh of Bahrein 1,000Z.) and a small strip of coast. The
safeguards required by the Government of India have been secured. We
undertake not to annex Bahrein (but not, as Hakki Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. desired, to abstain
from altering the nature of our relations with it), and we undertake that
the Sheikh of Bahrein shall not annex El Katr.
III. In the declaration regarding the frontier near Mohammera a slight
• concession was made (after consultation with Sir P. Cox) in the northern part
of the line, which will start at Um Chir and leave Kuskh-i-Basri to Turkey.
On the Shat itself there was a direct conflict of opinion between Hakki Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders.
and ourselves as to what the status quo is, he maintaining that the territory
between Diaiji and the Kahr Xazaileh is in effective Turkish occupation,
while we maintained the contrary. Finally he accepted our line with the
proviso that if, on delimitation, it is found that the territory in question was in
effective Turkish occupation on 1st January last, the line shall be rectified
accordingly. There is very little likelihood that this will prove to be the
case, but it may be noted that, even if it does, we get a rather better line
than that given by the Mediating Commissioners in 1850, which left the
Sheikh of Mohammera's palace at Failiyeh in Turkish territory.
His Majesty's Government have, of course, to secure Persian acceptance of
the line.
I\ . The British Memorandum of 18th July 1912 enclosed a draft convention
on railway matters, but Hakki Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. propounded a counter draft. This
was quite unacceptable, and the Board of Trade prepared an alternative,
whicli Hakki Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. eventually accepted with some alterations (also prepared
by Board of Trade) designed to avoid frequent disputes involving arbitration.
Sir H. Llewellyn Smith took part in the discussion on this subject, and it
is understood that he considers the result as satisfactory as any document is