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'File 73/7 II (D 22) Status of Koweit [Kuwait] - Baghdad railway, Anglo Turkish negotiations' [74r] (153/540)
The record is made up of 1 volume (268 folios). It was created in 24 Oct 1911-26 Dec 1912. It was written in English, French and Arabic. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
prepared to accept the settlement suggested by His Majesty's Government last July,
in the following paragraph :—
British trade relations with the Sheikhs of Koweit have existed for upwards of two
centuries and, inasmuch as the place has attracted merchants from all quarters by the equity
of its rule and the freedom of its trade, His Majesty's Government could not consent to any
interference with the succession or with the internal administration, or any infringement of
the complete autonomy of the Sheikh. On the other hand, they are prepared to recognise
Turkish suzerainty over Koweit, and to recjognise the Sheikh as a Turkish Kaimakam, provided
in other respects the status quo is guaranteed, and the validity of certain agreements which
the Sheikh has concluded with the British Government is recognised; provided the islands of
Warba and Bubian are admitted by Turkey to be within the confines of Koweit, and Turkish
military posts are withdrawn ; and provided finally the Sheikh is admitted to the full and
undisturbed enjoyment of any properties he may own or hereafter purchase on Turkish territory.
Koweit would thus form a sort of
enclave
An area of land belonging to one country and entirely surrounded by land of just one other country.
within, and forming part of, the Ottoman Empire,
but enjoying complete self-governmemt under Turkish suzerainty.
1 As'regards the limits of Koweit it may be mentioned that in 1908 and again
in 1910 the British agents toured over the whole of the country claimed by His
Majesty's Government without finding traces of any influence there except that of
the Sheikh. -But for the moment it is perhaps unnecessary to make any further
reference to this subject, though unless the limits are eventually defined misunder
standing is certain to arise. Meanwhile we consider that the Turkish Government
should be informed that His Majesty's Government could not agree to conclude an
arrangement with Turkey if the military post is maintained at Bubiyan Island;
and we consider that it would be impracticable to transfer our agreements with the
Sheikh in the manner suggested in the Turkish reply.
(e.) Riverain Commission for the Shatt-el-Arab.
Instead of the joint Commission proposed by His Majesty's Government, the
Turkish Government suggest an Ottoman Commission, with a British engineer on
it in the service of the Turkish Government, in order to avoid the appearance of
internationalisation which it is their interest (and ours) to avoid. We understood from
the delegates that the Commission would consist of two members only, and that the
British representative would be in every respect equal to his Turkish colleague, and
further that he would be free to correspond with the British Government as he pleased.
Provided that his rights are secured by the Convention, and that it is also arranged
that the two Governments shall agree as to the individual to be appointed, we
think this may be accepted. But His Majesty's Government's further proposal that
the executive engineer should be British should be insisted on.
As soon as this Commission does any real work, the question of dues must come
up, though so long as the expenditure is small, it may be possible to avoid it.
But if the ownership of the Shatt is on other grounds adjudged to Turkey, the Turkish
right to levy dues is undeniable, and if the dues are fixed by a Commission,
constituted as proposed, its exercise seems harmless. The Turkish Government would
undertake that there shall be no differential treatment of British shipping, and this
should be embodied in the Convention. The Board of Trade might be asked to advise
as to any other conditions that may be necessary.
The Turkish delegates were anxious that it should be understood that all
pilotage in the Shatt-el-Arab would be controlled by the Commission, and this may
be agreed to.
(f.) Pilotage, &c., in the Gulf.
This is not mentioned in the Turkish reply, and His Majesty's _ Government
should repeat their claim to control it themselves. At the same time, it seems
desirable to define the limits of territorial waters, on the basis of the Government of
India's telegram of the 18th April, and a chart, on which they are clearly shown
might form an annex to the Convention. It would be agreed that any of the existing
British buoys, &c., or of those about to be laid down by us, which might be found to
be in Turkish waters, would pass with the control of the Riverain Commission.
(g.) Policing of the Gulf.
Turkey desires to carry this out jointly with Great Britain. It is evid^t from
this proposal, and from the proposal that they should consolidate themselves on El Katr,
About this item
- Content
The volume contains letters, telegrams, and memorandums pertaining to Anglo-Turkish negotiations brought on by the Baghdad Railway and particularly the extension to Basra. Correspondents include: Percy Cox, 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. at Bushire, William Shakespear, Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. at Kuwait, Edward Grey, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Louis Mallet, Assistant Under-secretary of State for Near and Middle Eastern Affairs, Charles Marling, British Ambassador to Persia, Gerard Lowther, British Ambassador to Constantinople, George Buchanan, British Ambassador to Russia, Admiral Edmond Slade, the Board of Trade, the Government of India, the India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. , and several private companies, including Trans-Atlantic Trust Company, Anglo-Persian Oil Company, Imperial Ottoman Bank, and Imperial Persian Bank.
The form of the negotiations was a series of memorandums containing proposals and counter-proposals. The issues and subjects discussed are:
- ownership and control of the line;
- custom duty increases in the region;
- navigation of the Shatt al-Arab, including the establishment of a commission to oversee this;
- transport of railway materials by the Tigris and Euphrates rivers;
- delimitation of the Turkish-Persian border;
- status and territorial limit of Kuwait;
- other Gulf matters, including the statuses of Bahrain and Qatar, the suppression of arms traffic, piracy, and slavery, and the protection of pearl fisheries.
Folios 261-262 are a map showing the proposed territorial limits of Kuwait.
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (268 folios)
- Arrangement
The volume is arranged chronologically. At the beginning (ff. 3-4) is a subject index, in no particular order but grouped under several broad headings. The numbers refer to folio numbers from the secondary, earlier sequence.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: The volume is foliated from the front cover to the inside back cover, using circled pencil numbers positioned in the top-right corner of each recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. . There are two earlier foliation systems running through parts of the volume. The first uses uncircled pencil numbers in the top-right corner of recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. pages, and the top-left corner of verso The back of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'v'. pages. This foliation system numbers pages if they have content on them, which is the case for all rectos and some versos. This foliation system appears intermittently through most of the volume. The other foliation system uses circled blue pencil numbers in the top-right corner of recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. pages, and appears from folios 5 to 42. Numerous printed materials contained in the volume have their own internal pagination systems. The following foliation irregularities occur: 1a, 34a, 51B, 219B, 250B.
- Written in
- English, French and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script View the complete information for this record
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Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/R/15/1/611
- Title
- 'File 73/7 II (D 22) Status of Koweit [Kuwait] - Baghdad railway, Anglo Turkish negotiations'
- Pages
- front, front-i, 1ar:1av, 2r:5v, 16r:22v, 24r:34v, 34ar:34av, 35r:42v, 44r:49v, 51r:51v, 51br:51bv, 52r:54v, 56r:63v, 66r:67v, 72r:112r, 113r:134v, 136r:168v, 170r:182v, 184r:204r, 205v:213v, 215v, 219br:219bv, 222r:225v, 227r:236v, 238r:250v, 250br:250bv, 251r:261v, 262v:264v, back-i, back
- Author
- East India Company, the Board of Control, the India Office, or other British Government Department
- Usage terms
- Open Government Licence