Coll 6/19 'Arabia: (Saudi Arabia) Hejaz-Nejd Annual Report.' [‎90v] (181/540)

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74. Pecuniary Claims. —The surprise occasioned in 1935 (see paragraph 65
of the 1935 report), when the Saudi Government suddenly paid 10 per cent, of the
joint claim of His Majesty's Government and the Government of India was not
repeated in 1936. On one occasion Sheikh Yusuf Yasin told His Majesty’s
Charge d’Affaires, spontaneously, that the Saudi Government were taking steps
to pay this year an instalment equal to that paid in 1935, but the steps must have
halted somewhere on the way, for no payment was made.
75. Red Sea Oil Concession. —This important concession was secured by
Petroleum Concessions (Limited), a company formed under the auspices of the
Iraq Petroleum Consortium, and strongly supported by His Majesty’s Govern
ment. The concession is for the whole of the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia to
the depth of 100 kilom., exclusive of the stretch from Rabigh to Lith—presumably,
out of deference to Moslem opinion. The concession includes the Farsan and
other islands and the territorial waters of the concession area. An attempt by
the Italian Legation to delay the grant of the concession so that Italian interests
might tender for the oil rights in the Farsan Islands was a failure.
Other British Governments.
76. Again no question arose between Saudi Arabia and the self-governing
Dominions. The Government of India were particularly interested in the
dispensary question and also in the question of the pilgrimage. These matters
are dealt with in separate sections. There was correspondence designed to bring
about an agreement for the reciprocal service of summonses, but it had not been
concluded when the year came to an end.
(2) France and Syria.
77. The French Consulate in Jedda was duly raised to the status of a
Legation. In February M. Maigret presented letters of credence as Minister
Resident, and in August fresh letters as Envoy Extraordinary and Minister
Plenipotentiary. On the first occasion M. Maigret presented to Ibn Saud on
behalf of the French Government the Grand Cordon of the Legion of Honour,
and this was followed a few months later by the gift of an aeroplane—a Caudron
Renault Pelican four-seater.
78. A Frenchman representing the Soci6te frangaise des P^troles, a member
of the Iraq Petroleum Consortium, which obtained the Red Sea Oil Concession
through Petroleum Concessions (Limited), a company formed under its auspices,
came to the Hejaz to help in the negotiations, but fell ill and took no part in
them. The belief that his company had the backing of the French Government
was confirmed by the fact that he travelled in a French naval sloop.
79. The negotiations conducted by M. Maigret at Sana were continued
during two visits in 1936 and ended in the signature of a treaty of friendship
on the 23rd April.
80. The arrangement by which France is converting her relationship with
Syria from that of mandatory to that of ally removes the main, perhaps the only,
possible cause of disturbed relations between France and Saudi Arabia—until
the Arab rulers begin to interest themselves in Tunis, Algeria and Morocco. The
arrangement was welcomed with satisfaction by a—doubtless inspired—article
in a Mecca newspaper as another step on the road to the independence of Arab
territories and eventual Arab union. The article, however, described the terms
granted to Syria as less favourable than those granted by His Majesty’s
Government to Egypt.
81. M. Maigret showed little interest in the result of the conference held
at Haifa in 1935 to consider questions affecting the Hejaz Railway. His attitude
was that all proposals with a view to reconditioning the line for through services
were so unpractical as not to be worth bothering about. In this he was believed
to be echoing the views of the French authorities in Syria, with whom he is
in closer touch than he is with Paris.
82. The double matrimonial alliance with the Shalan family (paragraph 73
of the 1935 report) was completed in April 1936 when the second grand-daughter