"ملف 61/11 VI (D 102) مسائل متنوعة خاصة بالحجاز ونجد" [ظ‎‎١‎٠‎٠] (٥٢٢/٢٢١)

2. The King, said Sheikh Yusaf, was desirous of peace. There had been
many occasions in the past when he might have gone to war with the Imam, but
he had always avoided it. He had no territorial ambitions in respect of the
Yemen. His dominions were quite large enough. The failure of the Abha
Conference and of his direct negotiations with the Imam compelled him to defend
his rights. It was hardly necessary to go into the reasons for his friendship with
His Majesty's Government. He wished to keep them informed as a duty of
friendship and in order to seek their advice. He was confident that His Majesty 's
Government were on his side.
3. Sheikh Yusuf went on to say that he was not sure how much I had been
told by Sheikh Abdullah Suleiman and Taufiq Bey Hamza. He would, therefore
recapitulate the developments which had produced the present situation. I would
remember that at an earlier stage the King and the Imam had reached a
preliminary agreement regarding the determination of frontiers, the disposal of
the Idrisi, the discussion of the Najran question and a meeting of delegates to
draw up a treaty of friendship. The King had thereupon ordered his troops to
keep to their positions and to make no advance. Even before that the Commander-
in-chief had been directed to refrain from any aggression.
4. Before the delegates met the Imam had taken forward action. He had
sent Abdul Wahhab-el-Idrisi to occupy A1 Ardha, where a Saudi garrison of
fifty men were made prisoners. He had made approaches to the Beni Malik, some
of whom took his part, and to the people of Faifa, who resisted. He had occupied
both districts, sent olncials there and collected taxes. The Imam had stated, in
reply to remonstrances, that these acts were done before his orders had reached
his commanders, and had promised to evacuate the occupied areas, subject to the
King s pardoning the local dissidents. The King had done this, but there had
been no withdrawal. On the contrary the Yemeni forces in the Beni Malik area
had been reinforced.
5. Sheikh Yusuf was quite vague as regards dates, and his information as
t ? ^ti ibution of tribes differed somewhat from that given me bv
ua ey Hamza. I gathered, however, that the area affected comprised the two
moun ains called Beni Malik and Faifa, and the tribes bearing those names as
we as 0 eis like the Abadil and Bil-Ghazi, A1 Ardha being apparently in the
V. ,U n 0 • 0 A ^ acllL .(The fact is that neither Fuad Bey nor Sheikh Yusuf have
^c£ re f C1 /? e 111 01ma Jj 011 ' ^ ma y be taken that the most salient features of
tne disputed area are the two mountains named.)
tainp!i w k en . th® delegates met was that the occupation was main-
to ask thp Kincff 1€ | 0ni !f €s ? lven by the Imam. The latter had gone so far as
King- m-pfprrpH ? ^ eaSe / P r i soner s at Jizan, a demand so astonishing that the
e^bv the a! ? I" T ^ e Q as T a " ce of P a, ' don ^ the local rebels was
channel avaidt I * ^ h T T gh Sayf-al-Mam Ahmed, as that was the only
conference should havl ^i f i , ' 1 " wcvei '', refused to evacuate until the
been admitted ThpK in h i a on til the Yemeni claim to Najran should have
In the course of tbew i./? exercised patience until the end of the negotiations,
agreement about the rW ver '' e J 1 ?'™' 8 delegates had denied any preliminary
STtS Kine inform^ nf 111 ? 11 ?!, frontiers, the Idrisi, or anything else. At
long as the unlawful oconLr^ 1 " r f 1 negotiations could not be completed, so
preliminary aer^mput w 0f ^ tf P ltor y was P ereist ed in, contrary to the
withdrawIfoTtWorce, nf ^gested that Najran should be neutralised by the
had been agreed and flmi t) 10 t 1 81 lat 'he Idrisi should be disposed of as
Malik &c Iniam should wi^draw from the area of the Beni
to Najran amfto wtrifdraw'frOTnTh'u ar'' the f Hlg 10 reco g nise his clai 1 m
area of the Beni Malik &c ea " ln S which he could not vacate the
sending reinforcements and^irr^^ 11 ^ t0 k ? ep P roni i ses and his action in
the King to order the Amir Sand f in ^ trou ble among the tribes had compelled
intimated that hewotlTbenrtareff^ 6 ' He had informed ^ ^ am but had
would evacuate the occupied itp - I"rif resume negotiations, if he, the Imam,
friendship. The Amir Saud had ej! V SS and P rocee d with the treaty of
two days earlier by some of his trooDs OU Th \ ¥ arch ' having been preceded
8. After thanking Shefkh Yu nf ^ e i lad ? far beei1 no clash - • f
confidence that His Majesty's Government wpvJ ^ th ! Ki ^ ,s ^ vessl jj
j . vjuvernment were on his side. They were, indeed,