مجموعة ٦ / ٦٧ (٣) "حدود جنوب شرق الجزيرة العربية وقطر." [و‎‎٣‎٣‎٦] (٨٣٠/٦٧٨)

1 r THISDOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HIS BRITANNIC MAJES TY’S GOVERNMENT
EASTERN (Arabia).
CONFIDENTIAL.
July 3, 1935.
Section 1.
[E 4126/77/91]
“ < F ‘"• Par ‘ sst ^
THE following were present at the meeting
Mr. Rendel.
Sir A. Ryan (His Majesty’s Minister
at Jedda).
Mr. Ward.
Mr. Malcolm.
Euad Bey
Arabian
Affairs).
Sheikh Hafiz Wahba (Saudi-Arabian
Minister in London).
Hamza (Deputy Saudi-
Minister for Foreign
nffi recalled that, at the two previous meetings at the Foreien
Office, discussions about the south-eastern frontiers had been confined tTth»
northern portion of the proposed boundary. It would no? be pos to P r?cee?
with negotiations on this part of the line until each side had had time to
consider the arguments put forward by the other. He would like to nmke itXr
however that His Majesty’s Government could not modifyttoir attitode Tn
regard to the claims of His Majesty King Abdul Aziz in regard to Ae part of
the line at the base of the Qatar Peninsula or in the region of the Khor-aLOdeid
they would, however, give careful consideration to the memorandum which Fuad
district * 1 pr ° miSed 0n the fi uestlon of the proper attribution of Banaiyan and its
FUAD BEY HAMZA replied that he preferred to postpone further detailed
discussion of the northern portion of the boundary until His Majesty’s Govern
ment had studied his memorandum, which he hoped to have ready very shortly
bpeakmg about the south-eastern frontier problem as a whole, he could hold out
Intie hope that King Abdul Aziz would be able to accept the proposals of His
Majesty s Government, since the boundary they had suggested, unlike that
proposed m the memorandum communicated by Fuad Bey to Sir A. Ryan on the
Ina i a ’ 1935 ’ WaS n0t based upon the existin g situation in the desert. King
n-baul Aziz would no doubt be ready to give way on specific points if the facts
could be shown to be otherwise than he claimed, but he could not break his
pledges to those tribes who had placed themselves under his protection. Fuad
Bey hoped that His Majesty’s Government would appreciate the difficulties which
confronted the King—^particularly in view of his position vis-a-vis Arab national
sentiment—when asked to surrender territory to which he had an established
claim.
Mr. RENDEL explained that His Majesty’s Government fully appreciated
the position of King Abdul Aziz. But he could not accept Fuad Bey’s contention
that the proposals of His Majesty’s Government were not based on the existing
situation. The line they were offering was based upon facts ascertained after
the most careful enquiry.
He then suggested that the meeting should proceed to discuss the southern
sector of the line. Since the discussions with Fuad Bey Hamza in London in
September 1934, much detailed information had been obtained in regard to the
allegiance and distribution of tribes in this area, and the southern sector of the
line which His Majesty’s Government were now offering (running from the biter-
section of the Anglo-Turkish “violet” line of 1914, and parallel 18° N. to the
intersection of meridian 52° E. and parallel 19° N.) had been drawn up in
conformity with this information so as to include within the Aden Protectorate
the territory predominantly inhabited by the Hadhrami tribes of the Protectorate.
It was true that the proposed frontier was a straight and artificial line; but this
was inevitable in the case of a line running through a featureless and practically
uninhabited desert, and need present no difficulties, since both parties were trying
to fix the ultimate limits of territorial sovereignty and not to establish a frontier
in the European sense of the word.
8025 [11839—1]