Coll 6/19 'Arabia: (Saudi Arabia) Hejaz-Nejd Annual Report.' [‎136v] (273/540)

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on lines which indicated that, while neither Government wished to denounce the
treaty, the Saudi Government hoped for satisfaction on certain points. When
reverting to the subject in London Fuad Bey raised no new point, except the
minor question of the language of the treaty, which was not then pursued. The
other points really came under the head of individual outstanding questions and
fall to be dealt with as such, from the point of view of His Majesty’s Governments^
The standpoint of the Saudi Government is rather different, as on the one hand the
denunciability of the treaty affords them an opportunity of putting forward their
desiderata, while on the other hand they would like, subject to obtaining some
at least of their desiderata, to establish their treaty relations with His Majesty’s
Government on a less precarious basis.
66. Slavery .—In earlier conversations with Sir Andrew Ryan, Fuad Bey
had intimated that, if His Majesty’s Government would abandon the right of
manumission provisionally preserved by the letters attached to the Treaty of
Jedda, Ibn Saud might be prepared to promulgate regulations designed to prevent
the slave trade and to protect slaves in the country from undue hardship. This
idea was further discussed in London, very guardedly on the British side, but not
so as to exclude the possibility of an agreement on the lines suggested. The
Secretary of State subsequently issued instructions to Sir Andrew Ryan
authorising him to explore the matter further on those lines but laying down
stringent conditions, as to the information which would be required regarding the
proposed legislation and the prospects of its being enforced effectively.
Consideration has also been given to the possibility of bringing Saudi Arabia into
the League of Nations system by securing her accession, at the instance of His
Majesty’s Government or the League, to article 2 {a) of the International
Slavery Convention of 1926.
67. Saudi- Transjordan Used in three contexts: the geographical region to the east of the River Jordan (literally ‘across the River Jordan’); a British protectorate (1921-46); an independent political entity (1946-49) now known as Jordan Frontier.—TY iq position before Fuad Bey visited
London was briefly as follows. He had reverted to the subject of the Aqaba-Maan
legion (see paragraphs 22, 35 and 72 of the report for 1933) in language which
implied that the Saudi Government, while maintaining their claim, did not intend
to press seriously for a change in the modus vivendi established by the relevant
letters attached to the Treaty of Jedda. The unostentatious survey of the
Iransjordan-Heja 2 frontier, which was decided on in 1933 (see paragraph 33
oi the last report), had taken place and had been extended to a small southern
sector of the Transjordan Used in three contexts: the geographical region to the east of the River Jordan (literally ‘across the River Jordan’); a British protectorate (1921-46); an independent political entity (1946-49) now known as Jordan -Nejd frontier. The northern portion of the latter
Iron tier was still the subject of some controversy with the Saudi Government
notably as regards the important water-point of Hazim, but this controversy was
no longer very active. A mention of the Aqaba-Maan area in the London
conversations ed to a more general exchange of views with Fuad Bey who was
not encouraged to reassert the Saudi claim to that area, but was sounded as to the
Saudi view regarding a possible clarification of the situation in regard to both
parts of the frontier. He took the line that, if the Aqaba-Maan question could
not be settled, his Government would prefer not to discuss the de facto Trans-
jordan-Hejaz frontier in any way whatsoever. He did not exclude the possibility
ot a clarification, e.g., by a local commission, in regard to the Transiordan-Neid
ron ler. Subsequent study of the question by the British authorities concerned
turned fundamentally on the question whether the whole matter should be pursued
m any general negotiations with the Saudi Government and if so on what lines
t revealed the need for further information and arrangements were made for
fronfe S wkb f )' p e S Tb y made ° n the J r « nsj ? rdan side of the ^ f^o
trontier with the Hejaz. This was proceeded with notwithstandino- thp
Thaniyya Taraif incident described in paragraph 169 below. At the end Sf the
year His Majesty s Government were still considering the attitude to be fin all v
adopted in regard to the whole question. ^
on., 6 a 8 ’ i lejaz Railway. —Fuad Bey had approached Sir Andrew Evan on the
30th April as to the probable attitude of His Majesty’s Government in the United
r » dom the Saudi Government should formally approach them and the French
Government with a proposal that a conference should be held to make arrange
ments for reconditioning of the line, the question of its ownershin beinn sininlv
reserved This led to an exchange of views with the French Government and
other authorities concerned. When Fuad Bey reverted to the matter in London
sufficient progress had been made to enable the British representatives to Gp!
up a generally sympathetic attitude. No definite reply could'be returned how