'File 35/86 V A. 77 Muscat Commercial Treaty' [‎61r] (136/442)

61
3.
the nationals of the most favoured foreign country."
He said this did not meet him ? as he wished to
exercise a control over the acquisition "by foreigners
of immovable property anywhere, hoth land and buildings,
"by requiring, as in his draft, that permission should
"be obtained. He remarked that with the existing draft,
with or without the proposed addition, it was open to
him, without infringement of the Treaty, to secure his
object by issuing orders to his own subjects.that no
immovable property was to be disposed of to foreigners
without his permission. The orders would not apply
directly to British subjects: the latter when desiring,
say, to hire or purchase a shop, would approach an
Omani subject for the purpose, that is, I h S b dealings
would be with a private individual, not with the Omani
Government, while the Omani subject before consenting to
dispose of the property would refer to the Sultanate
authorities for permission. The Sultan would outwardly
be controlling only the actions of his own subjects, as
he was entitled to do, and - yet vi(ould be able to secure
his object. His Highness therefore suggested the retention
of his own draft (i.e. the proviso to his Article 5).
Sultan T s Article 7 (^arbour dues)
His Highness proposed that the three points which he
- was prepared to accept in respect of this Article (see
note of fourth meeting) should be recorded in a letter
and not in the Treaty itself, since he wished to avoid
hampering his freedom in negotiating a treaty with a
foreign power (particularly in regard to British
representation on the special board) #
Article 12 (lUiv) .
It was explained to His Highness that questions
of/