File 53/1915 Part IV 'German War: Turkey; Caliphate etc' [‎157r] (310/481)

--Sr)
(gj
even in the name of an anti-Turk crusade. The Sherif
looks upon the Imam as the person to carry out his
ideas in Yemen, and he will eventually, if his schemes
beer fruit, turn the energies of the Asir tribes north
ward against the Turkish garrison of KUNF1DA and 1BHA.
This Turkish force threatens the rear of the Hedjaz,
and its removal is a preliminary to successful
operations in the Holy Cities.
fRMKN. Between the families of the aherif at MKCCA, and
the Imam at KHAVIR or SANAA there is an old friendship.
Politically there are clone relations between them.
Xhe tfierif was the instigator of the treaty between the
imam and the Turks, which transformed the Yemen from
the cockpit of Arabia to a well-behaved, prosperous
and semi-autonomous province. Pear of the iurisi
wo,s the motive of this reconciliation of the Turk and
: Arab.
Of late, ^hen the lurks made their attack on
ADEN, the Sherif counselled abstention to the Imam;
and more recently, in a conference at the pilgrimage
season, when the ImanPs brother, who represented him,
urged the advantages to Arabia of enrolling all the
tribes of the Aden Hinterland under the Zaidi flag,
the iiherif again dissuaded him, and explained his
political intentions to the Imam in a letter, which
drew a satisfactory reply. The Sherif is now at work
to reconcile, if only temporarily, Aalr and Yemen, in
pursuance of his policy of shutting down all side-
shows, and holding the whole force of what Arab states
j there are, ready for a simultaneous attack on one side
or the other, according as their interests seem to be
j witn the Allies or against them.
BOMALILANB .