File 345/1908 Pt 1 'Mohammerah: situation. British assurances to Sheikh.' [‎156v] (317/416)

Govern
ment of
India’s
letter of
July 5 ,
1900 .
Viceroy’s
telegram of
May 29 ,
1904 .
Mr. Brod-
rick to
Govern
ment of
India,
June 24 ,
1904 .
Major
Knox to
Govern
ment of
India,
May 7 ,
1907 .
Major Knoj
to Govern
ment of
India,
August 19,1
1906 .
3. Koweit .—On the 24th May, 1900, the Sheikh of Koweit entered into an agree
ment with the British Government, hy which he engaged ‘‘ absolutely to prohibit the
importation of arms into Koweit or exportation therefrom.” To carry out this
engagement he issued on the same day ( 1 ) a Notification declaring that “the importa
tion of arms and ammunition into Koweit and the territory under my control, and
the exportation of the same are absolutely prohibited.” and that “all arms and
ammunition imported into any parts of Koweit territory, or exported therefrom, in
future will he seized and confiscated;” ( 2 ) a Proclamation conferring on British and
Persian vessels of war the right to search, in Koweit territorial waters, vessels carrying
the British, Persian, or Koweit flag, as well as Koweit vessels in Indian and Persian
waters; and to confiscate any arms and ammunition destined for Indian, Persian or
Koweit ports.
In spite of the above Notification little serious attempt has been made to check
the import of arms into Koweit. In April 1904, at a time when tribal warfare was in
full progress in the interior of Arabia, the Government of India pointed out that no
arrangements had as yet been made with the Porte for the combined suppression of
the traffic, and that the importation of arms was proceeding briskly. In view of the
support rendered hy the Turks to Bin Rashid, Amir of Nejd, one of the warring
Chiefs of the interior, the Government of India were anxious that no additional
check should he imposed on the arms traffic at Koweit, which afforded the main
source of supply to the rival Chieftain, Bin Saoud, Amir of the Wahabi. It was
explained that this did not involve authorizing the Sheikh of Koweit to import arms,
or even relaxing measures actually in force, but merely letting matters remain as
they were. His Majesty’s Government accepted this view, and the Government of
India were informed on the 24th June, 1904, that fresh measures for the prevention
of the importation of arms at Koweit would for the present be deferred.
The latest reports of the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. at Koweit show that a large and
increasing traffic in arms is being carried on at that port. Major Knox, in his Trade
Report for 1906-7, drew attention to the large increase during the year in the value of
the arms imported in country sailing-boats, and remarked that “the well-known
dislike of the British authorities to this traffic, while it has had no effect in
checking the import of arms and ammunition, has had the very unfortunate result of
losing to a British Company (the British India Steam Navigation Company) the
freight on 13 lakhs One lakh is equal to one hundred thousand rupees worth of goods.”
Major Knox found it necessary in May 1906 to remind Sheikh Mubarak formally
of his Arms Prohibition of 1900, and to request that it might be more strictly
enforced. The Sheikh did not take the reminder in good part, and the Resident in the
Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. gave his opinion that the question was one which might at any time
endanger the good relations between the Sheikh and the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. . Major
Knox put the case still more strongly in a letter to the Resident. “ The Proclama
tion,” he wrote on the 3rd July, 1906, “ is not worth the paper it is written on, and is
only a cause of friction.”
4. Trucial Chiefs .—At the close of 1902 the Trucial Chiefs entered into engage
ments respecting the arms traffic, similar to those of the Sheikhs of Bahrein and
Koweit.
5. Turkey .—The importation of arms and munitions of war of all kinds into
Turkey was prohibited by an Imperial Decree which was notified to the British
Embassy in Eebruary 1862. The orders issued under this Decree to the custom-house
authorities were communicated to the British Embassy by the Ottoman Government
on the 11 th Eebruary, 1863. They forbade absolutely the import into any part of
the Ottoman Empire of all arms and ammunition, except “ les armes de chasse et de
luxe, les armes blanches, tels que sabres, epees et couteaux, et la poudre de chasse en
petite quantite, destines a I’usage prive”; and stated that all contraband articles
would be confiscated by the State.
On the 4th October, 1893, the Porte made a fresh communication to the Powers,
inclosing the Regulations which had been accepted in the Turco-German Commercial
Treaty just then concluded, and notifying them as those in force. The acceptance of
these Regulations was not at the time considered opportune by Great Britain and
the other Powers, but it would seem that, nevertheless, the Turkish Govern
ment continued to regard the Regulations as those in force in the Ottoman
dominions.