'File 4/6 II Kuwait-Iraq Frontier' [‎27r] (53/440)

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P.Z.2621/40
No. E. 1758/209/91
CONFIDENTIAL.
Sir,
Foreign Office,
S.W.l.
5th 1 ep- , 1940.
A 10
7J
> ___ With reference to 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. letter 1.^.375/40, of the
30th January, I am directed by Viscount Halifax to transmit to
you herewith, for the information of the Marquess of Zetland, r ^
copy of a despatchf rom Hie llajesty^ Ambassador at Bagdad>^p
regarding "the proposed demarcation of the iLoweit-Iraqi frontier*
* ' !
Lord :alifax agrees with the view expressed by Sir Basil
Newton that the wish of the Iraqi Government to develop a new
pori on the Khor Abdullah has lent further importance to the
question of the frontier line in the neighbourhood of that inlet.
In the circumstances, it certainly seems desirable that the whole
Koweit-Jraqi frontier should, if possible, be delimited at an ^
early date, and, in view of the decision of the Sheikh of Koweit that v
he con contemplate no territorial cessions to Iraq, this can clearly
only be done on the basis of the definition of the existing frontier
made by Sir lercy Cox in his letter to the 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. , Kowelt.
of the 19th July, 1923.\, v ;,^^| ^ ^ l'
3. It will be recalled that in his despatch No. 335 of the 1st
July, 1939, (of which a copy was sent to 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. with
Foreign Office letter F 4936/66/91 of the 28th July, 1939) Sir
Basil Newton enclosed the draft of e letter to the 4 Iraqi Minister
for Foreign Affairs, together with the draft of a Note which it was
proposed the latter should address to him embodying an explanatory
formula interpreting the definition of the frontier given by Sir
^rcy Cox. Since it iA as stated in the India. Office letter under
reference that Lord Zetland agreed general ly with the proposals put
forward by Sir Fasil Newton, Lord Halifax is reluctant to cause
further delay by suggesting at this stage any amendments to the
draft Notes in question. It seems to hiir, however, that certain
alterations, both in the draft Notes and in the explanatory formula
itself are desirsfelc.
“.i • m the first place, in view of the importance which now
attaches to the eastern part of the frontier, it seems preferable
to advance in the draft Note to the Iraqi Minister for Foreign
Affairs, as the reason for which Hie Majesty's Government desire
that the frontier shall be demarcated (if any reason has to be
advanced t 11), the need for avoiding disputes in connexion with
the development of the new portToh the Khor Abdullah, rather than f ,
the embarrassment which has been caused by incursions of Iraqi r ;dlice
into j oweiti territory. So far as Lord Halifax is aware, there
have not in any case been any incidents of the kind for seme time
past and since any reference to them might arouse the sueceptibilitiei
of the Iraqi Government, this could, in his view, w ith advantage be
omitted.
, second place, it seems desirable to include both in
the draft Note to the Minister for Foreign Affairs and in the draft
Lote f rom the i inister for Foreign Affairs to the Ambassador the
actual wording of Sir Percy Cox's definition of the frontier. If
this is done, not only will the two Notes be more readily intelli-
gible in themselves, but it will also be self-evident why some
elucidation of the existing deft nition is necesaarv before the work
of demarcation can be started. \
C. Thirdly, Lord Halifax haf^noted from the late Str Trenchard
Fowle's letter of the 1st August, 1939 to Mr. Peel (of which a copy
was sent to the Foreign Office with 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. letter No.P.'Z.4978/3<|
The Under-Secret try of State,
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. .
of/