ملف ١٩٢٤/١٧٠٧ "الجزيره العربية - تقارير عن الوضع في جدة. (١٩٢٤-١٩٣٠)" [ظ‎‎٢‎١‎٥] (٨٩٨/٤٣٥)

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Yemen, whither newspaper forecasts say he may proceed as Turkish diplomatic
representative. Mahmoud Nadim is getting old, but he still may be playing a less
active role in Yemani affairs. It is perhaps not impossible that the Turkish Govern
ment should offer him to Ibn Saud and to the Imam as mediator, though I have no
grounds for supposing they have done so. , _ T _ . ,
6. Another possible intermediary is Sayed Murgham-el-Idnsi, who has again, N
on the 30th March, arrived at Jeddah, and gone on to Mecca, possibly to Riyadh.
This is his third visit during the last few months, the most recent one being just before
the publication of the ££ Mecca Agreement.” From certain accounts he has a
different policy from that of Sayed Hassan and Sayed Mustafa, and is not without
followers in Asir, where some discontent is said to exist at Sayed Mustafa s deal over
the Farasan Islands. (The above confirms a similar report which has reached the
Political Resident at Aden.)
7. Commendatore Fares, the Italian consul in Jeddah, left on the 24th March
for Asmara, whither the Governor of Eritrea, recently returned from Rome, had
called him for a rapid consultation. His visit is evidently connected with the newer
interest the Italians are taking in Arabia. Commendatore Fares said recently in
conversation that, if Ibn Saud would settle the question of his southern frontier, he
had no doubt but that Italian recognition of his kingdom would follow. Such a
statement, if correctly reported, means a great deal. Cqmmendatore Fares, in the
friendliest manner, informed me of his journey before leaving.
8. The arrival of the French armed yacht ££ Diana” in Jeddah harbour on
the 9th March was made the occasion for the decoration of the Emir Feisal, who
came down from Mecca purposely, with the badge of Commander of the Legion
of Honour. During the Emir’s visit to Europe last autumn, the hospitality offered
to him in France was somewhat negligent, comparing unfavourably with the
decorations and welcome received by him in Great Britain and Holland. The stay
in Paris was cut short as a result. The present decoration was by way of compensa
tion. At the banquet given on the occasion, the Acting Director of Foreign Affairs
made a speech on behalf of the Emir, emphasising the desire of the Hejaz-Nejd
Government to knit friendly relations with the French Government and the identifi
cation of the Emir’s tour in Europe with that high purpose. It must have been
interesting to hear Sheikh Youssef Yassin express these sentiments. When he left
Syria a few years ago he was not old enough to have taken a leading part in events
there, and he is not of a chronically anti-French turn of mind. But the friendly
phrases he used are more likely to express his master’s opinions than his own pre
dilections. As for Ibn Saud, it would be interesting to know in what mood his
thoughts turn to Damascus now that there is talk of again setting up an Arab prince
there.
9. The acting French consul expressed in reply equally fervent hopes of mutual
good relations. He felt, he said, that the occasion was an excellent one for conveying
to His Majesty the King the goodwill of the French people and the gratitude of
France’s 45 million Sunni Moslem subjects, of whom 20 million belonged to the
Maliki sect, for His Majesty’s labours to secure peace, comfort and freedom to the
Holy Land of Islam. This downright pronouncement was, I believe, Major Depuis
own invention. He says that the reference to the 20 million Malikis covers an
allusion to last year’s Islamic Conference at Mecca, to which at first Abd-el-Knm
was invited to send a representative, while no invitation was forwarded to the Sultan
of Morocco, whose subjects, it would seem, are chiefly Maliki. > a -j ■
10. Ibn Saud, who will hold his Court in Riyadh until the Ramadan Aid is
over at least, has changed his title and been acclaimed ££ King of the Hejaz and JNej
and its Dependencies,” in place of the former ££ King of the Hejaz and Sultan o
Nejd and its Dependencies.” The news has for some reason not reached Mecca un i
the end of March, and the Kingdom of Nejd has not yet been proclaimed here.
11. The Emir Saud has just sent a present of four desert-bred stallions to e
eldest son of the King of Egypt. The present, which is probably a reminiscence o
Saud’s visit to Egypt last year, comes opportunely, as the question of the Egyptia
Mahmal will have to be settled in the near future. The Egyptian consul in Jed a
hopes that there will be no objection this year to the presence of the usual arm
guard with the Holy Carpet, in spite of last year’s dangerous incident, when
was an encounter between the guard and fanatic Wahabis, which might have
grave results. He explains that the guard is there to do honour to the A a
rather than to protect it, and that there is no affront to Hejaz sovereignty m ^
long-established custom. One gathers that the Hejaz authorities would Hf i t i es
Carpet to come without armed escort. The matter, which presents many dimcu