'File 1/A/38 I Negotiations with Bin Saud re:- Eastern boundary of Saudi Arabia with Qatar & Trucial Oman.' [‎60r] (124/452)

THIS DOCUMENT IS THE PROPERTY OF HIS BRITANNIC MAJESTY’S GOVERNMENT
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September 24, 1934.
CONFIDENTIAL.
Section 1.
[E 5997/2429/25] No. 1.
Summary of Discussion at l^ifth Meeting with Fuad Bey Hamza, held at the
Foreign Office on September 24, 1934.
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IT had originally been arranged to continue at this meeting the discussion
begun at the second meeting (E 5908) regarding the eastern and south-eastern
frontiers of Saudi Arabia. I he instructions which Euad Bey had been expecting
in regard to this question had not, however, arrived, and it was not possible to
make any further progress with it. It was arranged that, if these instructions
did not arrive before Fuad Bey’s departure from England, Sheikh Hafiz would,
on their receipt, acquaint the Foreign Office with their tenor.
2. Mr. Rendel asked that the Foreign Office might be given as full an
account as possible of King Ibn Sand’s views on the frontier problem well in
advance of the opening of the proposed negotiations at Jedda. This would
save a good deal of delay and reference home when the negotiations began. He
added that he did not wish to begin by seeming over-optimistic with regard to
the negotiations over this particular question. There were certain to be many
points in regard to which the two sides would not see eye to eye. For instance,
Fuad Bey had at the second meeting mentioned the Murra and Manasir as
tribes which King Ibn Saud was likely to claim as his subjects. So far as the
Murra were concerned, there was perhaps some reason to consider that they were
closely connected with Saudi Arabia. The Manasir, on the other hand, seemed
to be of more doubtful allegiance, and were stated to be largely dependent on
the Sheikh of Abu Dhabi. Again, Fuad Bey had mentioned a claim as far south
as the Qara Mountains. His Majesty’s Government would certainly not be able
to agree to anything so extensive. He mentioned these points to show that all
would not necessarily be plain sailing. He was confident, however, that a friendly
and reasonable settlement could be reached, and Sir A. Ryan would certainly
make every effort to reach one, though he would necessarily be bound on many
points by his instructions from home. Fuad Bey stated that Sheikh Hafiz Wahba
would also be available to help in the negotiations in Jedda, since he was
proceeding on leave to Saudi Arabia at the end of the year.
3. In the discussion which followed, an opportunity was taken to remind
Fuad Bey that the chief desideratum on the side of His Majesty’s Government
in any general settlement would be a satisfactory settlement as regards
commercial relations between Saudi Arabia and Koweit. Fuad Bey suggested
at one point that it might be better to balance this question against the problem
of the oil concession in the Koweit Neutral Zone, rather than against that of
the south-eastern frontier. He was, however, given no encouragement to pursue
this line of thought. Sir Andrew Ryan observed that a general settlement should
be of the greatest advantage to King Ibn Saud in pursuit of his policy of
consolidating his regime in Arabia.
4. The question of slavery was again touched upon, but it was clear that
Fuad Bey was not in a position to add anything more precise to what he had
previously said regarding the possibility of such action by Ibn Saud as would
justify His Majesty’s Government in renouncing their present right of
manumission.
5 . At the close of the meeting Fuad Bey mentioned that his Government
might perhaps feel inclined, during the forthcoming negotiations, to raise once
more the question of the possible entry of Saudi Arabia into the League of
Nations. The proposed general settlement would remove one of the factors which
had in the past been considered a possible obstacle to the admission of
Saudi Arabia to the League, namely, that country’s lack of fixed frontiers.
Mr. Rendel reminded Fuad Bey that the existence of slavery in Saudi Arabia
had also in the past been mentioned as a possible obstacle. Fuad Bey replied
that this question also was to be discussed during the negotiations, and if, as
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