Coll 6/19 'Arabia: (Saudi Arabia) Hejaz-Nejd Annual Report.' [‎36v] (73/540)

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178. The matter was, in fact, never raised again in Jedda, but in July the
Saudi Legation in London informed the Foreign Office that the Saudi Govern
ment had been approached by the Iraq Government regarding the Sanjak of
Alexandretta, and would like' to know the views of His Majesty’s Government
on the suggestion of the Iraq Government that the sanjak should be partitioned.
The Saudi Government had not, as yet, he said, agreed to the Iraqi suggestion
that they should associate themselves'with representations to the French Govern
ment on the subject. Mr. Zada was informed that the Iraq Government had
recently requested His Majesty’s Government to approach the Turkish Govern
ment regarding the partition of the sanjak. It was explained to him that His
Majesty’s Government did not think the solution reached by agreement between
the French and Turkish Governments was an ideal solution, but the question was
whether any better solution was possible. In principle, His Majesty’s Govern
ment welcomed the fact that an agreement had been reached between the two
parties directly concerned, and would be reluctant to do anything which would
revive former differences. In any case, His Majesty’s Government did not think
that anything that they could say would induce the Turkish Government to_ agree
to partition without the acquisition of Antioch. Moreover, His Majesty s
Government were not at all sure that partition would be a good solution, and the
Geneva settlement certainly seemed to possess some advantages, for example,
demilitarisation, from the point of view of Syria and Iraq.
179. The King voiced his suspicions of Turkey once more when His
Majesty’s Minister was at Riyadh in November. He referred to the Turkish
‘ ‘ finger ” as one of the three at work in Palestine, the other two being the Italian
and the German. According to him the Turks were jeering at the Palestine
Arabs for having exchanged Turkish domination for that of the Jews, and this
was having considerable effect on many Arabs. He repeated his prophecy that
sooner or* later the Turks would try to recover Mosul, and he now added the
Jazira to the list of their objectives.
180. Ibn Sand did not send a special representative to Angora to the
funeral of President Ataturk, but asked the Iraq Government to let their
representative act as his envoy also.
Egypt.
181. Although the Egyptian Government appointed a Minister to Saudi
Arabia in 19:^6, it was not until December 1938 that the Minister, Abdul Rnhman
Azzam, joined his post and presented his credentials. It is expected that the
Minister, who is accredited to the Iraqi, Iranian and Afghan Governments also,
will spend most of the year at his other posts.
182. As had been foreshadowed in the Egyptian press in 1937, the Kiswa
procedure was cut down still further for the 1938 pilgrimage. The Kiswa was
handed over at Mecca with some ceremony, which was reported in the Mecca press,
but the Mahmal remained at Suez.
183. The Banque Misr are credited with large schemes for economic develop
ment in Saudi Arabia, but little has come of them up to the present moment. It is
believed that even their financial importance in Jedda has diminished owing to
the provision of better terms to the Government by the Netherlands Trading
Society. The banque brought a dredger to work on the boat channel in Jedda
harbour, but although apparently no charge was made for its services, it remained
idle for a considerable time, owing to a dispute about payment of dues—or, as
some people alleged, because the Saudi Government were frightened by a theory
that the work accomplished by the dredger would make Jedda easier of access for
foreign warships.
184. The useful scheme in which the Egyptian Government are interested,
to construct proper roads from Jedda to Mecca and Arafat and from Jedda to
Medina, and to provide Mecca with water and electric light, had not been put
into execution by the end of the year, though it is believed that the two Govern
ments had at last come to an agreement on the main points at issue. The scheme
seems to be generous to the Saudi Government. It is to cost in all about
£E. 240,000. Of this the Egyptian Waqfs would advance £100,000, as
representing one-half the money due to the poor of the Holy Cities for four years,