Coll 17/35 ‘Iraq. Iraq – Saudi Relations. Demarcation of Frontier.’ [‎7r] (13/112)

a particular difficulty confronts His Majesty’s Government
in claiming to have a voice in the settlement of the
western termination-point of the Iraqi-Saudi frontier.
This difficulty consists in the fact that although the
wording of the Hadda Agreement of the 2nd November, 1925,
is extremely ambiguous, His Majesty’s Government take the
view that under its provisions the frontier between Nejc.
(Saudi-Arabia) and Transjordan Used in three contexts: the geographical region to the east of the River Jordan (literally ‘across the River Jordan’); a British protectorate (1921-46); an independent political entity (1946-49) now known as Jordan starts at the termination--
point of the frontier between Nejd and Iraq laid down in
Uqair Protocol No, 1 of the 2nd December, 1922, and not,
if there is any difference between the two, at the
intersection of latitude 32° North and longitude 39°
East (see Foreign Office memorandum E 4690/277/25 of
September, 1939, and especially Annex B). They take
this view, both on the merits of the case as a matter
of treaty interpretation and because it suits them to
do so from the point of view of Transjordan’s interests
on other parts of the frontier. His Majesty’s Government
also take the view that there i_s a difference between the
termination-point of the frontier between Nejd and Iraq
and this point of intersection and that the termination^
point should properly be fixed at the summit of the Jebel
Anaza. Here, again, they take this view both on the
merits of the case as a matter of treaty interpretation
and because the acceptance of the ’’co-ordinates"
interpretation for the Uqair Protocol would weaken their
argument for rejecting it for the Hadda Agreement. But
although His Majesty's Government may hold these views,
it is strictly speaking not for them to say that the
Saudi-Iraqi frontier should terminate at some particular
point if the two parties themselves, as a result of
arbitration or otherwise, and without infringing any frontier
agreements which either of them may have with His Majesty’s
Government, decide that it should terminate somewhere else.
8. It cannot be said that either Saudi-Arabia or
Iraq has a frontier agreement with His Majesty’s Government
which precludes them from placing the termination-point of
the Saudi-Iraqi frontier wherever they think fit. The
Anglo-Saudi agreement merely refers back, as already
explained, to the Saudi-Iraqi agreement. The Anglo-Iraqi
agreement about the frontier between Transjordan Used in three contexts: the geographical region to the east of the River Jordan (literally ‘across the River Jordan’); a British protectorate (1921-46); an independent political entity (1946-49) now known as Jordan and Iraq
(see the correspondence between the Prime Minister of Iraq
and the Chief Minister of the Government of Transjordan Used in three contexts: the geographical region to the east of the River Jordan (literally ‘across the River Jordan’); a British protectorate (1921-46); an independent political entity (1946-49) now known as Jordan of
the 31st July and the 16th August, 1932: Print Volume
"Further Correspondence Respecting Eastern Affairs:
"Part XXXI: Chapter V: No. 169) likewise merely states:-
"The frontier between Iraq and Transjordan Used in three contexts: the geographical region to the east of the River Jordan (literally ‘across the River Jordan’); a British protectorate (1921-46); an independent political entity (1946-49) now known as Jordan
"starts in the south at the point of junction of
"the Iraq-Nejd frontier and the Transjordan Used in three contexts: the geographical region to the east of the River Jordan (literally ‘across the River Jordan’); a British protectorate (1921-46); an independent political entity (1946-49) now known as Jordan -Nejd
"frontier and ends
9. This being so, no claim could strictly speaking
be made on behalf of Transjordan Used in three contexts: the geographical region to the east of the River Jordan (literally ‘across the River Jordan’); a British protectorate (1921-46); an independent political entity (1946-49) now known as Jordan under the principles
enunciated in paragraph 3 even if the decision of the
two parties had the effect of depriving Transjordan Used in three contexts: the geographical region to the east of the River Jordan (literally ‘across the River Jordan’); a British protectorate (1921-46); an independent political entity (1946-49) now known as Jordan of
territory which she might obtain on some other interpretation.
As a matter of fact Transjordan Used in three contexts: the geographical region to the east of the River Jordan (literally ‘across the River Jordan’); a British protectorate (1921-46); an independent political entity (1946-49) now known as Jordan would on this particular part
of the frontier receive more territory if the termination-
point of the Saudi-Iraqi frontier were fixed at, say, the
/intersection