"تقرير الإدارة عن المقيمية السياسية في الخليج الفارسي للأعوام ١٩١٥-١٩١٩" [ظ‎‎٧‎٨] (٣٩٦/١٦٣)

78
PEESIAN GULF ADMINISTRATION REPORT
Damascus, for the purpose of buying camels for the Ottoman Governnnent. The
emissary was well chosen, for he was a personal friend of Ibn Sand and had
visited ISajd on the same business the previous year, Eut on this occasion the
Amir was pressed by us to prevent him from obtaining camels : he accordingly
arrested Ibn Taraun, confiscated 700
Arab Bureau, 19th September 1916. . which liad been purchased in the
interior and sent them to Kuwait. Various reports^ some of which came from
Ibn Saud, indicated that another attemnt
Arab Bureau, herewith enclosed. , ~ ' l ^
' to stir up Ibn Kasina against us was ia
the wind. Eushaid Ibn Lailah, Ibn Eashid's representative at Constantinople,
joined him at Hail with a few German and Turkish officers, a small body of
Turkish soldiers and some guns ; accounts •varied as to the exact composition of
the mission, but its presence in Hail in some form seemed fairly certain. Ibn
Saud had written, in September, that he would be ii^lad of a personal interview
with the Chief Political Officer to discuss the question of co-operation with the
Sharif or offensive action against Ibn Eashid. In October he repeated the
request urgently and on all grounds it seemed advisable to accede to it. Sir Percy
Cox met him at Ojair on November II th. Ibn Saud explained to him his position
in detail. He had lost considerably, in men and material,in the fight T\ithlbn
Eashid in January 1915. Since then he had been almost continuously in the
field, fiist against the Ajman and then again the IViurrah. Most of the
normal tiade of Najd was with Syria, and the tribes were accustomed to sell their
camels to Damascene dealers : the strict blockade imposed by Ibn Saud—the
seizure of Ibn Paraun's camels bore witness to its reality—grew more and more
galling : the Kajdis grumbled, the tiibes were restless, all asked wherein lay
the advantage to themselves of their Chief's attitude, and it w T as increasingly
difficult for him to keep them in hand. With regard to the Sharif, Sir Percy
Cox was able to give Ibn Saud the fullest assurance. Our treaty with the Amir
had been communicated to Mecca, and when the Sharif announced to us his
intention of proclaiming himself King of the Ara bs, on No member 5th, we had
insisted on a formal admission that he claimed no jurisdiction over independent
rulers. The news of the coronation at Mecca had nofc yet reached Central
Arabia and was not discussed. During conversation \^ith the Chief Political
Officer at Basrah Ibn Saud made a passing remark about the Sharif's calling
himself " Sultan but his mind seemed to be set completely at rest on hearing
that his rights were safeguarded by us and that the Sharif had explicitly
denied any design on the independence of himself or his compeers.
Ibn Saud having expressed to the Chief Political Officer, at their meeting at
Ojair, his inclination to pay a brief visit to Shaikh Jabir of Kuwait before
returning home, the project was cordially encouraged as appearing eminently
expedient and bir 1 ercy Cox recommended that he should be presented with
the K.C.I E. at a majlis which was to be held at Kuwait where the Shaikh
was to be invested with the C. S. I. When he intimated to Ibn Saud that this
honour was to be accorded to him, the Chief Political Officer was authorised to
inloim hirn at the same time that his rights had been carefully reserved
m all dealings which the British Government had held with the Sharif,
anc Ibn baud m his reply said that he w r as entirely satisfied on this point.
Arab Bureau, herewith forwarded. n ™;!, lis ^ 0ok P lace 0n November
_ ATriQ j. -wr 4.1 . 20th. Ihe Shaikh of Mohammerah had
flip fviPT rll 1 ^ 1 a * 0 ^Ti 810 ot aiK ^ mail y itedouin were present, including
the ea r ?!" en ° f „ th ® Sham mar Aslam, and Dhafir, and Shaikh of
tions illmWl In 6 . 1? Political Officer, in presenting the decora-
were bent wifh 0111 satlslactl0n 111 feeling that the great Arab chiefs
followed him with % . cc j mmon P ur P ose r Ihe Shaikh of Mohammerah
:sx iff k r
coiilrastcd'i licir S >i . "V'r committed on other Moslems. Be
Great Britain, pointing out that the
the British Governii.cnf ('n"n 10 ' j if fomenting their differences, -whereas
praised the action of the if in their own interest. He
co-operate w ith him in frv ®'S e( ^ the obligation of all true Arabs to
ate w ith Mm ln f crwardlllg the Arab cause _ ^ ^ ^