"ملاحظات اللورد كرزون عن بلاد فارس" [ظ‎‎٦‎٤‎٥] (١٣٨٦/١٢٩٢)

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Sheikh Obeidullah within the Persian territory, but it was more probable, His Majesty
thought, that the Sheikh, when he found himself hard pressed by the Persian troops,
would recross the frontier into Turkey.
The Shah observed that he considered the Porte responsible for all that had occurred.
The insurrection had been planned and organized in Turkey by the Sheikh, a Turkish
subject, and nothing had been done by the Ottoman authorities to prevent him from
carrying out his designs. On the contrary, he had been permitted to issue his
proclamations and send inflammatory addresses from the Turkish territory to all the
Kurdish tribes on this side of the border, and, notwithstanding the strong remonstrances
made on the subject by Persia, he had eventually been allowed to cross the frontier,
and place himself at the head of the insurgents. His Majesty thought that the Porte
was now therefore bound to make every effort to repair the injury inflicted on this
country by its subjects. He feared, however, that this would not be done unless under
pressure from the Mediating Powers, and he hoped that Her Majesty’s Government
would strongly urge the Porte to seize Sheikh Obeidullah, should he succeed in
escaping from Persia, and hand him over to the Persian Government, in which case he
would be put to death, or to have him banished to some remote part of the Empire
where he could do no harm; or else that Persia should be allowed to send her troops
across the frontier to co-operate with the Turkish forces in capturing the ringleaders
of the outbreak.
Should the Porte be unwilling or unable to give effect to these proposals, the Shah
said grave complications would arise which could not fail to be injurious to general
interests. He even hinted that he should be obliged to insist upon Persian troops
crossing the frontier to seize the Sheikh on Turkish territory, and the tone of his
remarks, while stating repeatedly his conviction that Russia would interfere actively
in this matter, seemed to indicate some possible understanding for joint action on the
part of the two Powers.
The demand of the Persian Government in respect to the seizure and banishment
of Sheikh Obeidullah appears moderate and reasonable, and unless it is complied with
the Kurdish insurrection will probably recommence next spring. The Sheikh’s continued
residence near the frontier would necessitate the maintenance of a large Persian force
in the frontier districts of Azerbijan, and the presence of such a body of troops now
in that part of the country would not only entail a heavy expenditure upon the Persian
Government, but would completely drain the province of the scanty supply of food
which the famine of last year and the ravages of the Kurds during the last two months
have already made insufficient for the wants of the inhabitants.
The two Mahommedan Powers are equally interested in maintaining order
amongst the Kurdish tribes on the frontier, and they both profess to be willing
to come to some understanding on the subject.
The Persian Government will now judge the sincerity of the Porte in this
matter by the measures which may be adopted by the Turkish authorities in respect to
Sheikh Obeidullah and the ringleaders of the present outbreak. Compliance with
the Shah’s demands would doubtless facilitate future arrangements as to the main
tenance of peace amongst the Kurdish population on both sides of the frontier; but
should they be rejected, I should consider it extremely improbable, in view of the
strong feeling which exists in this country in respect to the Sheikh, and the encourage
ment he is believed to have received from the Porte, that Persia would, in the event of
a recurrence of hostilities between Turkey and Russia, again observe the neutrality
which she maintained during their last two wars.
I have, &c.
(Signed) RONALD E. THOMSON.
No. 47.
Mr. Thomson to Earl Granville.
(Substance received by telegraph, November 24.
My Lord, Tehran, November 24, 1880.
. W ITH reference to my despatch of the 20th instant, repeating the telegraphic
information received from Her Majesty's Consul-General at Tabreez as to the move
ments of Russian troops on the Persian frontier, I have the honour to report
to your Lordship that at an interview which I had yesterday with my Russian