"ملف 21/1 I الزبارة" [و‎‎١‎٠‎٦] (٤٧٤/٢١٦)

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41. on the 2nd December Saleh al Mana*, the Shaikh
of ^atar*s secretary, informed the political Agent that
the Shaikh of Qatar was willing to withdraw the guards.
The Political Agent replied that the Shaikh of Qatar should
do so and inform him when this had been done. (Vide Agency
printed Letter No.C/1917 dated the 24th December, 1944).
42. On the 10th December, 1944, the Shaikh of Bahrain
wrote to the shaikh of Qatar that, in view of the recent
agreement, he considered the situation to be "as it was
before the dispute took place". The Shaikh of Qatar replied
that he would be governed by the terms of the Agreement >
under reference. (Vide Agency P.L* No.C/1789 dated the
18th December, 1944). The messenger of the Shaikh of
Bahrain who carried his letter to Qatar also discussed
the possible return of the arms taken from the Naim.
The Shaikh of Qatar is reported to have said that, he was
agreeable to return them if the shaikh of Bahrain would
make a written request. He also informed the messenger
that under the 1916 Treaty with His Majesty's Government
he could not alienate any part of Qatar and was, therefore,
unable to recognise the Al Khalifah claim to Zubarah.
(Vide Agency letter No.c/1915 dated the 20th December 1944).
43. ^I On the 13th January, 1945, the Shaikh of Bahrain
asked the political Agent to inform the Shaikh of Qatar
that His Majesty's Government had no objection to his
negotiating direct for the removal of the guards. The
Political Agent thereupon suggested to the political
Resident that he.should express a hope that the Shaikh
of Qatar had by now removed the guards, and should add
that any outstanding questions should be dealt with direct
by the two Shaikhs. The political Resident agreed and
left it to the political Agent's discretion to advise the
Shaikh of Bahrain verbally that discussion should be con- .
fined to the specific question of the withdrawal‘of the
guards (vide Residency telegram No.113 dated 16.1.1945). /,
44. On the 22nd January, 1945, the political Agent
wrote to the Shaikh of Qatar and replied to Shaikh Salman
that the Shaikh of Qatar had been informed ’'that there is
no objection to discussing the question of the Zubarah r
guards directly with Your Highness". . ,
45. On the 24th January, 1945, the Shaikh of Bahrain
wrote to the shaikh of Qatar saying that in the past the
Shaikh of Qatar had neither a fort nor a garrison "in my
country Zubarah", and asked him to restore the situation
to its former state and also to return the arms taken from
the Naim. (Agency Endorsement no.C/ 168 dated 3.2.*45).
On the 30th January the Shaikh of Qatar replied that he
was surprised to see the Shaikh of Bahrain speaking of
Zubarah as his country which "as everybody knows it is
an inseparable part of Qatar", and that if he wanted the
arms back "in the form of a request, that is a separate
question". On the 1st February, 1945, the Shaikh of Qatar
replied to the political Agent's letter that he had with
drawn the guards and there were now only some two or three
caretakers left in the fort. The Shaikh of Bahrain there
upon wrote to the Political Agent saying that Zubarah had
belonged to the Al Khalifah up to the 1937 dispute, and
that "all the people of the Gulf know that Zubarah is one