مجموعة ٦/ ٩ "تقارير جدة يناير ١٩٣١ -" [و‎‎٢‎١‎٠] (٨٠٢/٤٢٠)

[181 u—1] B 2
3
assumed control of the town, and of Loheya, and gave to the Senior h«aval Oihcei,
Red Sea Sloops, satisfactory assurances for the safeguard of British lives and
property. The British sloop, H.M.S. Hastings, thereupon left Hodeida on the
7th, French and Italian ships leaving the same day, although one Italian ship had
sailed on the day before. Saudi troops continued to arrive in Jedda throughout
-.O the month, at first from Hodeida and later from Jizan. Ihey were received
undemonstratively by the local inhabitants, and were soon whisked oft m motoi
trucks to Mecca and Taif, there to receive largesse in the shape of rice and rials,
before they returned to their native deserts. .
161. Amir Feisal made his way from Hodeida to Jizan, where he remained
for the purpose, it was said, of overhauling the local Administration. About the
31st July he left, or was on the point of leaving, for Qunfida and is shortly
expected at Jedda. The lengthy silence that has brooded over the presence of
Amir Saud in Najran was broken on the 13th, when the Urn'm-al-Qura declared
that he was still in that province “supervising certain necessary arrangements”
and would postpone his withdrawal until the simultaneous withdrawal of
Saif-ul-Islam Ahmad, at the time in disturbingly close proximity to the Saudi
Amir, could be arranged. The feverish rumours to which this announcement gave
rise were speedily dissipated by the subsequent communique of the 27th July,
reporting the withdrawal of Amir Saud to Abha en route for Taif.
162. (Reference paragraph 132 of last month’s report) Seyyids Hasan and
Abdul Aziz-al-Idrisi have been allowed to remain in Mecca, where the King is
placing a palace at their disposal. Seyyid Abdul Wahhab-al-Idrisi was reported
to have reached Taif on the 9th to join his two relatives.
163. Amongst other actors to make their exit from this, it is to be hoped,
final scene were the Peace Mission (reference paragraph 128 of last month s
report), who finally withdrew from Sana and left the Yemen.
164. Towards the end of the month the appointment was announced of
Sheikh Assaf-ibn-Husayn, ex-Amir of Rus, as Amir of Najran and all the
territories of Yam. The Saudi authorities, it would appear, are now turning
their attention to the administrative consolidation of these territories.
165. During the month congratulatory telegrams were addressed to Ibn
Saud by, among others, King Ghazi and Prince Omar Toussoun of Egypt. The
message of the former hailed the happy consummation of the struggle with the
Yemen in the Treaty of Taif as a step in the direction of unity between Arab
nations.
166. On the 17th July the Transjordan authorities informed the Legation
that on the 2nd July an armed car patrol unwittingly crossed the Saudi-Trans-
j or dan frontier near Haditha. The patrol called at the Saudi post at this place
to explain. The Legation expressed officially to the Saudi Arab Government the
regrets of the Transjordan authorities at this unintentional transgression of
the frontier.
III .—Relations with Powers outside Arabia.
167. Present cordiality in relations between the British Legation was
marked by a Royal invitation to His Majesty’s Minister to visit Ibn Saud at
Taif. Sir Andrew Ryan, accompanied by Mr. G. W. Furlonge, left Jedda on
the 12th and returned on the 14th July, having been given a distinguished
reception and much hospitable entertainment. Ibn Saud was gratified to receive
the congratulations of His Majesty’s Government on the successful termination
of his dispute with the Imam of the Yemen, conveyed to him by Sir Andrew.
He evinced a desire for closer relations with His Majesty’s Government, and in
a series of business talks with His Majesty’s Minister discussed a number of the
major questions at present under the consideration of the two Governments.
168. Ibn Saud expressed himself with great vigour on the subject of the
Qatar boundary of the “blue line” (see paragraph 135 of last month’s report).
The King most emphatically denied the thesis that the Turkish Government in
1913-14, had any locus standi permitting them to dispose of his own ancestral
rights. Sir Andrew Ryan hopes to discuss this question upon his arrival in
London with His Majesty's Government.
169. The King also adverted to the Koweit blockade, and expressed a desire
to reach a settlement on terms advantageous to each party.