'Files 61/12 and 61/16 (D 80) Treaty between Bin Saud and H. M. Govt' [‎98r] (202/408)

Jeddah channel, in the case of necessity. Mr.Sprin^ Rice
said that he agreed generally with the proposals but would
have to refer them to higher authority. Questions of
Arabian policy would as hitherto be dealt with by
consultation between the Foreign Office and the Colonial
Office, but the Foreign Office would prefer not to lay
down anything definite until the future relations
with Ibn Saud had been defined by the conclusion of a
revised treaty. Sir J .Shuckburrh said that he was sure
that there was no intention of altering the present
arrangements under which action in regard to Nejd or
Hejaz affairs was concerted between the Foreign Office
and the Colonial Office, but that the view of the
Secretary of State for the Colonies was that the Colonial
Office should in principle be regarded as the Department
primarily responsible for dealing with questions of policy
in Arabia and therefore the Department whose view should
normally prevail
As regards the question who would deal with
Parliamentary Questions relating to Ibn Saud, the general
view of the C 0 nference was that, in deference to Ibn
Saud 1 s expressed wish that his relations should be with
the Foreign Office, such questions shoUd normally be
answered by the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs,
but that the Colonial Office should furnish the material
for the replies.
(2) Revision of the 1916 Treaty with Ibn Saud
Sir J.Shuckburfii said that it was clear that
the existing Treaty between His Majesty's Government
and Ibn Saud was no longer appropriate and would have
to be revised. It was agreed that a pe-iite message
should be sent to Ibn Saud informing him that Sir G.
Clayton had reported his desire for a revision of the
treaty; that His Majesty's Government realised that the
circumstances had changed and that it was desirable
to revise the treaty; and that a communication on the
subject would be addressed to him very shortly,
.Vr.Spring Rice suggested that the new treaty
should contain as little detail as possible, and urged
that as the whole negotiation of the treaty must be
largely a matter of tactics, it would be desirable before
making any definite proposals to have the views of Sir
G.Clayton who was already on the way back to England from
Aden. Subject to this reservation, he proposed the
undermentioned subjects as suitable for inclusion in
the Treaty, and these were agreed to provisionally and
subject to certain reservations shown in the notes.
(a) declaration of perpetual Seaoe and friendship
(b) recognition by Ibn Saud of His Majesty's
Government's special position in the neighbouring Mandated
Territories,
(c) agreement by Ibn Saud not to interfere
with Arab rulers with whom H^M.G. were in treaty relations,
e .g. Koweit, Bahrein,
Note