File 22/23 III Kuwait Conference [‎29r] (57/200)

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indications thnt wt, — I include here the other members of
the Conference as myself •• have outstayed our welcome nd I
venture to douot whether it is consonant with the dignity of
Hie Majesty’s Government to permit the further continuance of
tne Conference, unless very clear hopes can be entertained that
some material success will come out of it. Locally, I think I
can confidently assert that no one believes that anything will
come of it and the Shaikh of Kuwait has openly told me that
he thoroughly dislikes the prolonged residence of the Najdi
delegates in his town. He says that they are ungrateful,th t
they have belittled in public utterances his hospitality,and
I have not the slightest doubt in saying that he personally
will now be delighted when the onference breaks up. It is
quite possible that the Najd delegates are,in their idle
moments oi which they have plenty,sedulously intriguing with
Shaikh Abdulla bin Salim,the conspicuous rival of the Shaikh
of Kuwait. On the other hand to do the Hajd delegates mere
justice, I have little doubt that they would leave Kuwait as
joyfully as every one else concerned. It is with keen personal
regret th t I record my belief that the Conference has now
served the only purpose that subsequent events have shown could
reasonably have been expected from it. lo some limited extent
it has preserved the peace during a very critical period;it
has also elucidated the attitude and the views of the protagon
-ists in this struggle.
8. I would therefore venture to put forward my conviction
that,if, by the time this despatch recches London, the
conference is still dragging on this unsatisfactory way, it
will be time to put an end to it as speedily as possible.
9. I do now share the a .prehensions ol ris xcellency t e
High Commissioner of Iraq in regard to the serious conseq’ ence s
that may be expected to follow from the f ilure to secure peace,
if combined with no effort to bring sea pressure to bear on
His Highness the Sultan of Najd. I consider that the
conclusion of the tonference or its postponement to next cold