"١/١ المجلد II العلاقات الكويتية السعودية" [و‎‎١‎٩‎٦] (٥٣٤/٤٠٠)

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possessing any Vvalid title can form no basis lor discussion
and that while His Majesty’s Government are prepared to make
some friendly concession this can only be within reasonable
limits.
7. In any preliminary conversations with Ibn Saud
you may not wish to proceed beyond this stage. But I fully
realise difficulties with which you may be faced and I do not
desire to tie your hands unduly. Matter is mainly one of
tactics as to which you are necessarily the best judge and
you are therefore authorised if you consider that no settle
ment is likely to be attainable otherwise to proceed either
with King at Hiyadh or subsequently with Fuad Hamza as and
when you consider it necessary or desirable to ? enter
further stages suggested in paragraphs 8 and 9 below.
8. Second stage. Offer Ibn Saud in full sovereignty
a relatively small area or stip immediately Hast of Blue Line
as far as a line running from head of DOHAT-SS-S^L>i/A to a
point slightly south east of SAKAK (but leaving that place
to Saudi ^Arabia) thence (leaving to qatar and Abu Dhaoi a
strip of territory extending inland for no less than 25 miles
to West of head of KHOR-iSL-ODSID) to North Western extremity
of A^AL thence due southwards via (but to west of) B.-.NIYAN
to parallel 20 degrees North whence it would gradually rejoin
Violet Line.
9. If this offer proves insufficient} His kajesty's
Government would be prepared to consider >adding— t-o it as a
third stage a settlement on the lines suggested in nendel's
letter of November 7th to Mr.baithwaite (copy in my despatch
No.436) involving creation of Desert Zone under a special
regime for a period of ten or twenty years subject to re
consideration at the request of either party at the end oi
that time. (See also Conclusion One of Kiddle nast uud-
Committee meeting of November 8th). Ibn Saud would maintain
in /