Coll 6/4(2) 'Asir: Relations between Saudi Arabia and the Yemen.' [‎376r] (758/796)

THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY’S GOVERNMENT
EASTERN (Arabia).
September 12 , 1933.
CONFIDENTIAL.
Section 2.
ns
£ 5328/759/25] No. 1.
Mr. Calvert to Sir John Simon.—(Received September 12 .)
(No. 265.)
HIS Majesty’s Charge d’Affaires presents his compliments to His Majesty’s
Principal Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, and has the honour to transmit
to him copies of notes from and to the Saudi Minister for Foreign Affairs, dated
the 17th and 20th August respectively, on the subject of the Saudi Arabia-Yemen
situation.
Jedda, August 20, 1933.
Enclosure 1 in No. 1 .
Saudi Minister for Foreign Affairs to Mr. Calvert.
(Translation.)
(Confidential.)
The Hon. Charge d’Affaires, Taif, August 17, 1933.
I AM requested by the Government of His Majesty the King to inform you
of the following, with a view to its communication to the authorities concerned ii
His Britannic Majesty’s Government:—
2. The Imam Yahya, in one of the meetings which were held between the
delegation of the Government of His Majesty the King and the Imam Yahya, said
that the Italian Government’s representative (who has been deputed for the
purpose of renewing the treaty which was concluded between the Imam Yahya
and the Italian Government, which expires in a year and a half, and who (the
representative) was at that time in Sana and is said to have left a week before the
return of the delegation without arriving at any useful result), asked the
Imam Yahya in one of their meetings about his point of view regarding the
Idrisi’s territory and Asir. He added that the Italian Government have certain
views and intentions in regard to these territories, and that they have not
recognised them as belonging to the Government of Ibn Saud. The Imam
answered him saying that he also had not recognised Ibn Saud’s claim either to
the territory or to Asir. Both of them demand them (the two teriitoiies) for
themselves. He (the Imam Yahya) asked the Italian representative to com
municate to him the advice of his Government as to how he should attain his
intentions and whether this should be done in a military or in a peaceful manner.
Immediately after that, the Italian representative asked his Government tor
their advice, and he subsequently informed Yahya that his Government did not
wish to express their views in this connexion, but that they requested that the
Imam should give his own opinion first and state his intentions and objects. I he
Imam Yahya fhen changed the subject and did not tell the d ® le f?; tlo ^ ab ? ut t] ] e
remainder of the Italian Government’s reply. There is no doubt that the Imam s
intention was only to pick a quarrel and to threaten. He requested the delegation
verv strictly not to mention this statement to any cm e ;
^3 The Imam Yahya sent a letter to His Majesty the King through the
Saudi' Arab delegation, requesting him to recognise Hajran as be onging to the
Imam Yahva and that other matters could be postponed until later The
delegation communicated the contents of the letter to His Majesty the King by
wireless from Jizan. His Majesty the King replied that this was impossible and
that he could not agree to it unless they came to an agreement over all the matters
in dispute. No reply has yet been received about this from the Imam Yah) a.
[907 m—2]