'The Seven Independent Arabian States [Yemen, ‘Asir, Hijaz, Najd, Kuwait, Jabal Shammar and al-Jawf]' [‎323r] (645/680)

0
13
j an War
d
ieE e ' ^, "
1
PH'oso,
'fntory ^
iting
, J v -uvcutld
'^liadtai
ars, ■
[ w pronto
'*« u Arabia
Mention,
e to W
The
Nejd" in uw
'inceofEasa,
lavmg commity
iced in a difficult
ained himself as
d made overtures
f, His Majesty's
if of this weight,
k Persian Gi
hrein, the form
re they conferred
ed much frienli-
3n the coast and
dm. These tens
munications from
dealt with by tie
province, and no
n effect, Ihn Sand
sty's GovernmeDt
kish Government,
is above cited and
lirements included
iperation in mail-
racy; cooperation
o Qatif.
continued, and OB
Basra, ItpW
succession to te
i the Emir
also requin
jrnment.
s said no!
ctober, l" 1 -.
T^nrmp- the same period the Turks attempted to reconcile Ibn Saud and Ibn Rashid
^ tn 0 obtain promises of their military co-operation with the Ottoman Power
These? overtures the Emir of Nejd put'as We' In October 1914 the Shdkh of
(fnmpit on his own initiative, wrote to Ibn Saud stating that he intended to stand
i rr; . Maiestv's Government if war broke out and that he advised Ibn Saud to
th,. came The latter replied that, in the event of war with Turkey, he would
D stand by the sheikh "and the British Government."
Farlv in October His Majesty's Government resolved to send Captain
sOrnkwoear formerly British Resident at Koweit, on a special mission to Ibn
Saud negotiations were begun before he arrived by His Majesty s Government
f | ie Emir in November to co-operate with the Allies in the wai and offeung
fn return to guarantee him against Turkish attack, to recognise him as indepen
dent ruler of Nejd and Hasa, and to enter into treaty relations with him These
nronosals became the basis of subsequent negotiations. Captain Shakespear
reached Ibn Sand's camp on the 31st December, 1914, and discussed with him the
nolitical situation. It appeared that Ibn Saud was resolved to remain neutra
until he could secure a binding treaty with the British Government, and that
what he sought was a solid guarantee of his position under what would be, m
^ British suzerainty. On the 4th January, 1915, Captain Shakespear was
able to send Sir P. Cox a translation of Ibn Saud's rough draft of the treaty he
proposed. When forwarding this document. Captain Shakespear added some
observations of his own :
" I venture to submit," he wrote, " that Ibn Saud in effect asks (in his rough
rlraft of a treatv) for little more than what has been already conveyed m the
let ng Residents assurances (the proposals of a British guarantee already
mentiSned) if these were meant to apply to the future and were not limited to the
present crisis, and if they are interpreted liberally and generously^ In exchange
Ibn Saud offers to make himself a British vassal for good
reply would be m o st /^antageous to^Great B^ ^ ^ lorig ^ be repeated here;
frran that officei da e advised the Emir to temporise further, pleading
suffice it to say that Ibn bai Heiazi seaports. He explained that
fear of a British attack on Jed da and other ^ i ^ he himse if had
he saw no advantage m siding with the / sent him by the Porte, alleging
just returned a temporising reply to a p ^ British attack on
his pending operations copies of British
and British undertakings regarding
^ AftMstime (January 1915) Turkish pr^
Canal and Egypt were in piogiess. j | followed by momentous results
all believed ^^^^^00^ the 14t1 }
for Islam. 1 he jifiad naa oe ^ st ^ uncertain, signs were not
November, 1914, and though the fu P , i ncr ease British difficulties,
wanting that it might set Arabia ablaze and g J f h the ulema of
Arabs were looking anxiously towa ;. ( S A ^^ Prophet, Chief of the
that city and the rA/Leoer rf l HoK' Places, would do in this
Prophet's Tribe, and Heredita P b ^ ma( j e i n the negotiations
crisis of Islam. Nor, so H h Tn ffct n^hing had been received from
between Great Britain and ^hat Em • ds ' Gl . eat Britain and the statement
Mecca beyond expressions of go Turks at present. This response Abdullah,
a "»' "■ " " plJ M
( 9 ) Given in volume I, Arab Bulletin, p. 336.