"ملف 61/14 VI (D 50) العلاقات بين نجد والعراق" [و‎‎٣‎٧‎٧] (٨٣٠/٧٨٠)

[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government.] j
EASTERN (Arabia). July 23, 1928.
CONFIDENTIAL. Section 2.
[E 3663/1/91] No. 1.
Consul Stonehewer-Bird to Sir Austen Chamberlain.—{Received July 23.)
(No. 107.)
Sir, Jeddah, July 4, 1928.
I HAVE the honour to transmit, with reference to my telegram No. 61 of the
1st instant, a translation of Dr. Damluji's letter protesting against the language used
by the Iraq Minister for Defence in a recent statement in Parliament.
2. The Minister for Foreign Affairs came to see me on the 1st instant to discuss
this letter. I told him that I could not help feeling that the Hejaz Government were
taking a most exaggerated view of the importance of Noori Pasha's statement. How
could he, Damluji, possibly pretend to believe that an Iraq Minister could get up in
the Iraq Parliament and make a statement representing His Majesty's Government's
views ? Moreover, I gathered from newspaper reports which I had seen that his speech
was not intended as a statement of Iraq policy. He was merely concerned with
justifying to Parliament the expenditure voted for his Ministry. 1 pointed out to
Dr. Damluji that, having no Parliament and being answerable to nobody, the Hejaz
Government had the almost unique advantage of being able to spend what they liked
on defence without their expenditure or their deliberations being known to the public.
If he, however, were Defence Minister and answerable to a Hejaz Parliament, did he
really think he could justify expenditure this year without referring in his statement
to Iraq-Nejd relations ? I agreed with him that Noori Pasha's statement was unfortunate
at this juncture, but I failed to agree that it was provocative either in fact or in
intention. As the King had no other means of communicating with His Majesty's
Government or with Iraq, I had no choice but to despatch on His Majesty s behalf
telegrams embodying the protest, bat I was loth to do so as I was convinced that
His Majesty's Government would feel that a very exaggerated view was being taken of
the importance of the offending statement.
3. I had the impression that Dr. Damluji secretly agreed with me. Yussuf Yassin
was, however, present at the interview, and the King was evidently worked up.
Damluji consequently pressed me to telegraph to you asking for assurances from
His Majesty's Government and Iraq that Noori Pasha did not express the views of
either Government, as, if such assurances were not forthcoming, the Hejaz Government
would find it difficult, in face of the general resentment aroused, to feel themselves
bound by the verbal agreement recently made between the King and Sir Gilbert
Clayton. , t tt- tvt • »
4. A copy of this despatch and its enclosure is being addressed to His Majesty s
High Commissioner for Iraq.
* I liav© &c.
F. H. W. STONEHEWER-BIRD.
Enclosure in No. 1.
Dr. Damluji to Consul Stonehewer-Bird.
(Translation.) T 7 _ 7 oo- -w oo
(After Compliments.) Jeddah, June -w , iJ^o.
I HAVE the honour to inform your Excellency that I read in the newspapers the
declarations made in the Iraq Parliament during the course of the discussions on the
budget of his Ministry by Noori Pasha Essaid, formerly Minister for Defence in
the Iraq Government. He said that the funds allotted by Royal decree to the Ministry
for Defence were for the purposes of defence of the Iraq frontiers against the Nejd
people and for paying allowances to Sheikh Mahruth-el-Hazal. He added that, although
these funds had not been spent, it was expected that it would be necessary to spend
them at the end of the present summer. • -n i
Your Excellency will doubtless realise that the statements of Noon Pasha, it tHey
express the views of the Iraq Government, do not give evidence of good intentions on
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