مجموعة ٦/ ٩ "تقارير جدة يناير ١٩٣١ -" [و‎‎٣‎٠‎٦] (٨٠٢/٦١٢)

255. The authorities in the Persian Gulf have adduced strong reasons for
formally denouncing the old agreement that transit dues should not be charged
in Bahrein on goods for Nejd unloaded over the ship's side into dhows. The
question is still under consideration.
256. Ibn Saud sent special messages of sympathy to His Majesty’s Govern-
^^nent and Lady Biscoe on the occasion of the death of Sir Hugh Biscoe on the
^n9th July.
A sir and Yemen.
257. There have been no developments in this direction, apart from the
activities of the parties to the Ad-Dabbagh conspiracy, which do not appear to
have produced any actual effect of importance in Asir, but contributed to the
perturbation of Fbn Saud over the general situation described earlier.
Chapter III.— Foreign Relations.
General.
Hejazi Mission.
258. I he Amir heisal s mission did not get on to Persia as quickly as was
thought when paragraph 194 of the last report was written. They apparently
stayed a night in Tiflis towards the end of June, date uncertain, reached Baku
on the 28th June, and embarked in a special steamer for Resht. They reached
Tehran on the 1st July and left for Khaniquin on the 5th July, arriving there on
the 7th July. They travelled by special train to Bagdad and got there next day.
They left Bagdad in Royal Air Force aeroplanes for Koweit early on the
11th July, and after a short stay there proceeded by car to Riyadh, which was
reached on the 18th July. The Amir was much impressed by Baku and its oil
industry. No account has yet reached Jedda of the visit to Tehran. The visit
to Bagdad appears to have been eminently successful, and certainly helped to
consolidate relations between Hejaz-Nejd and Iraq (see paragraph 269).
King Feisal lent the Amir his country house and they were entertained at dinner
by His Majesty on the 8th July, by the Acting Prime Minister on the 9th July
and by Sir F. Humphrys on the 10th July.
Great Britain.
General.
259. The general relations between His Majesty's Government and Hejaz-
Nedj remained very friendly during July and August. They were completely
dominated by the Ibn Rifada affair, which was the subject of further
correspondence and of innumerable conversations between Sir A. Ryan and first
Sheikh Yussuf Yasin, then Fuad Bey. The policy of Ibn Saud has been to detach
Great Britain, his dearest friend, from the Amir Abdullah, his deadliest enemy,
with the object of ruining Abdullah and finding a basis for future relations with
Transjordan such that the Amir will play no role or be completely guaranteed
by His Majesty’s Government.
Harameyn Waqfs.
260. Some further correspondence has passed on this subject, but there has
been no important development.
Claims.
261. No progress has been made towards a settlement of the money questions
outstanding between His Majesty's Government and Ibn Saud. Sir A. Ryan
took an opportunity of bringing them all up to date in conversation with
Sheikh Yussuf Yasin at the end of Julv, but he got no money paid. There was
some little prospect in August of a direct settlement between Shell and the
Minister of finance regarding the benzine affair on the basis of proposals
discussed last May between Sheikh Abdullah Suleiman and Messrs Gellatlv
Hankey and Co. " ’