Coll 17/10(4) 'Internal: political situation; relations with HMG' [‎40v] (80/1031)

on the part of the Iraqis to increase exports to the United States, and would
besides react upon their schemes for capital development and the extension of
cultural relations with America. He feels, I think probably with justice, that
the solution lies in agreement between Washington and London.
1/. At the time of writing, the position that has arisen with regard to Iraq 4
is under examination by the interested authorities of His Majesty’s Government,
and I am hopeful that in time some means of overcoming the present deadlock
may be found. Were it to continue indefinitely, the repercussions on Anglo-Iraqi
relations could only be unfortunate. Meanwhile, pending’further instructions
10 m y^ni department, I and the senior members of my staff immediatelv
concerned are doing what we can to bring about a better understanding of the
problem as a whole by responsible Iraqis, and to this end our offer has been
explained to Ibrahim Kemal, who headed the Iraqi delegation to Bretton Woods.
Mis reaction was very satisfactory and I understand that within twenty-four
!? m \°!i th 1 e of the rec ent abortive negotiations, he had already
consulted the British Adviser to the Ministry of Finance, and the minister him-
i • n ^ rom v hat I hear, the latter is continuing his studies of the problem
which are likely to be influenced by the exact provisions of the Anglo-Egyptian
A 0 !cement, the final text of which has only to-day reached Bagdad
Wi j, At th f ^ginning of November/Mr. John Smith, Director-General of
n A// u T ture p nd Forests 111 ^e Sudan Government, arrived here at the invitation
FonnnifTi 0 V T ment m the V er f 0n of TsiW ^ Wahbi, the Kurdish Minister of
Economics) to make a report on the forests of Kurdistan. Mr. Smith made a
(.ompi ehensive tour of the whole area and will be submitting a report shortly I
ment r of a f n prt that f lt recomme k nd that hefore anything else is done land settle
ment of certain forest areas, to be created Forest Reserves, should be carried out
°^ Clal - tbis is done ^ forest can possibly survive the
seHuf 0t "r? 11 and S ° atS ' The next stel> wouId be the Planting of the areas so
setUed as Government property and the passing of legislation to restrict
rtt U ed Lei CU r 1 “tf ' 0f treeS ^ f ° V ^ needs of re “ ote villages) to the
reserved areas. Cutting would, of course, be done on a definite plan in these
pufinto e&eT w °y d atynce follow cutting. If some such programme were
1 ut into efleet the forests of Kurdistan, as well as its soil might be saved from
to cwTyTtout eTciTvel/^ ^ W0Uld ’ 1 reqUire 3 nUmber of Bl ' itish officials
rlAt ,.f 9 : f T In December Dr. Wright, an expert in animal products toured the
allied products . 0 ffis'roVorr^awa^ted 150881 '’' 111168 ° f increasin g liveatock «n d
German aircraft in the neighbourhood^ of^TPel Af^^s’tof MoL^^w^oftT “
of no account, were arrested, but two are still atfarge It is beHeved Silt sabotaS
2i. On the 18th November Hama Rashid Khan, a Kurdish leader (of Tram-
nationality) who had ruled the Baneh area of Persian Kurdistan for some two
yeais without any interference from the Persian Governmpnt ■,,
followers to Iraq before the advance of General Hoqshmand Afkar^s forces and
The Persian f’ ie lK,ql authorities - ^ to live in residence oreee at Kirkuk
The Persian Government are reported to be pleased with the results of tin
operations. I am sorry to have to report however that fhp Inf irfb ^ i
were imprisoned by the Persian General Afshar by a trick Lst Lmmei are slill
detained, and no restitution has been made for property confiscated in soifp of
'si. 11, "p—— —■■ ™
23. The Armenian Catholic Patriarch from Bm'mf -Do ^ j
23rd November for the centenary celebrations of the Armenian C^holic C°huich
in Iraq. His Eminence called on me at the embassy during hisvisR h
24. I am glad to report that the B.B.C.’s Arabic broadcasts continue to
ZZved n bv de thZB B fl r en 4 r h h ere ' T i n tW0 ( m0nt r s ninet y- ei ght letters were
received Dy tne B.B.L. Arabic section from listeners in Arakin •
countries, and of these no less than twenty-eight came from Iraq, which repZsentf