"ملف ٥/٢ VI المنطقة المُحايدة في الكويت" [و‎‎١‎٠] (٧٠٢/١٩)

OTP.
relegram
Prom
Political, ;lir.vait.
To
Repeated
Prodrome, Bahrain Mo.0/26 (Please pass to rR).
Prodrome, London. No.41.
Bated the Bord November, 1948.
I .PLMLvfE.
(In three parts)
Ly tele pram No.C/24.
The 3hai,vh called on me this morning and
informed me that inninco's negotiations for Saudi half of the
Neutral Lone oil rights had broken down. He stated that finally
a council of Saudi Ministers had declined further to consi ler
the offer until affairs in Palestine had been settled satis
factorily for the /.rubs. The question of final ex-gratia
payments was raised to which mminco representatives replied
that they had reached the limit of their bid. Aminco stated
that it was most unlixely that any other company would bid
higher. The Saudis remained firm.
2. The Shaixh then indicated the concern of the
-Utinco representatives particularly with regard to,the Badawi
due here in one week’s time c.f. my telegram No.C/9 and told
me of their suggestion that it might worx on the ’’Neutral Lone
islands'. He gave me a copy of a letter addressed to him
by Rayner dated the 20th November. The letoer is carefully
worded and appears to imply that there is no impediment to
Aminco's operating on the islands of Lubbar, Maradim and
laru. It asks for no reply other than acknowledgement.
Relevant extracts follow in part two of this telegram.
Part 2 . Begins..’’In the meeting so generously accorded us
last evening I conveyed to Your Highness verbally, as 1 now
wish to do officially, the sense of satisfaction and pleasure
it gave to both Mr. Davies and myself to learn that ' r our
Highness agrees with our understanding regarding the three
islands, namely Guru, Lubbar and Umm al Maradim: our under
standing being that of the islands referred to in our Concession
Contract of 28th Tune, 1948, the three islands named,
according to the best legal and governmental advice we have
been able to secure, are ’/holly owned by Your Highness. As far
as we are aware no claim to the contrary has ever been official
ly recorded. Therefore, it wouli follow that in any activities
in the search for petroleum thereon we would be accountable
only to Your Highness and consequently we would guarantee that
the royalty on any oil or natural gas discovered and produced
would be payable wholly and entirely to Your Highness.
1 am particularly pleased to confirm our
understanding in regrad to these islands, as Mr. Davies will
be also, for as you knowi, our geological technicians are
expected to arrive in Kuwait early in December and we are
most anxious that their work on these islands should begin at
the earliest moment '. ^nds.
[_ Pa rt 3.