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(7) Poland.
92. Poland has no representation in Saudi Arabia, but a Polish gentleman
visited Jedda in January in the hope of coming to some arrangement about the
debt mentioned in paragraph 100 of the last report. Jhe Saudis weie piepared
-^to do business on the basis of obtaining fresh credit in return for payment or
part payment of that debt. The negotiations failed in spite of the activity or
Mr. Philby, who holds a sort of watching brief for the Poles and who was much
concerned in this particular affair.
(8) Egypt.
93 No palpable advance was made in 1934 towards a settlement of the
differences which prevent the establishment of normal relations between Pgypt
and Saudi Arabia. There appears to be an important body of political opinion
in Egypt in favour of this, but the personal prejudice of King Fuad still blocks
the way. In August there was much talk of a note which the Egyptian Govern
ment were said to have addressed to the Saudi Government, but the report that
such a note had been sent was denied in September. A new Egyptian represen
tative was appointed to Jedda in August, but he does not seem to be an othcial ot
much standing and he had not arrived up to the end of December.
94 The Saudi Government on their side affect a good deal of indifference,
although they would welcome the establishment of normal relations. They were
perturbed in May to learn that the Imam Yahya had sought the mediation ot
King Fuad in his quarrel with Ibn Saud. Their fears were dissipated by the
action of King Fuad himself in declining the Imam’s request. Later m the year,
Ibn Saud defined his position in an interview which he gave to an Egyptian
journalist. He denied the existence of any Saudi prejudice against Egyptians,
with whom his country had ties of religion, of common Arab nationality and ot
interest He said he had worked for agreement and minimised the questions
which stood in the way, ignoring altogether, if the published version can be
trusted, the question of the Sacred Caravan.
95 The commercial drive initiated in 1933 by Talaat I asha Harb and the
Banque Misr group (paragraph 93 of the last report) continued with some
intensity A conspicuous building was rented in Jedda; the bulk of the Egyptian
pilgrims were carried in a former British ship belonging to the group; two smaller
vessels made experimental voyages in the Red Sea later; Talaat 1 asha himse f
revisited Jedda, with a party containing other persons of some consequence,
towards the end of November, travelling by air. He was again well received but
is said to have been refused permission to fly to Riyadh to see Ibn Saud. Some
of his projects in connexion with banking, concessions, &c., seem to hang hre
and little has been heard of the marketing of Egyptian goods in the Hejaz,
probably because of the difficulty of competing with Japanese goods. On the
other hand, the group are giving great attention to the pilgrimage. Talaat
Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. is credited with a statement that they hoped to carry 8,000 pilgrims
(according to another version 10,000) in 1935, and there has been talk of plans
for various facilities like the issue of inclusive tickets covering the whole cost
of the pilgrimage. Plans were made to provide hotel accommodation for pilgrims
of the wealthier class in the Banque Misr building in Jedda.
(9) Turkey.
96. Even less was heard in 1934 than in 1933 about Turkish relations with
Saudi Arabia. The Saudi Government were alarmed in the summer by the
appearance of a rapprochement between Turkey and Persia, in which they
professed to see an eventual menace to Iraq and through Iraq to themselves.
When speaking of this apprehension, however, they represented their existing
relations with Turkey as entirely correct and friendly. (Cf. paragraphs 09
and 61.) At the end of the year some attention was attracted by an entertainment
"iven by the Saudi Minister of Finance for the Turkish Charge d Affaires. It
was said that the Saudi Government desired a commercial treaty with Turkey
and that Turkey sought a monopoly of the import trade m certain lines. I he
story is worth mentioning, but need not be taken seiiously at piesent.
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