'Report and Proceedings of the Standing Sub-Committee of the Committee of Imperial Defence on the Persian Gulf' [‎33r] (70/94)

t^t U i^v ^' () ™ m ^ s ®i° | ^ er ti as proposed the River Laban as frontier, which would give
Turkey Old Lamdjan, Vazne, Naalenfakir, and other important places.
‘ 1 he l ersian Government cannot admit that all these places, which are needed bv Persian
tribes, should be abandoned to^ lurkey. The Turkish Commissioner, seeing that his Persian
colleague i ejects ins pioposal, wished to leave the frontier, but has been persuaded to remain a
few dajs. I he 1 ersian Government, seeing, to their great regret, that Turkey is not disposed to
terminate the question, beg the British and Russian Representatives to concert with the Persian
Ambassador, and to proceed to negotiate with the Sublime Porte with a view to submitting the
question to arbitration and to indicating the Arbitrators/*
Both Mr. Barclay and the Bussian Ambassador were doubtful whether the Porte
would accept arbitration. ■
Some doubt arose as to the position of the River Laban. No river of this name is
marked on the “ Identic Map/’ There is a River Lavan or Lavene, which flows to the
east of Lahidjan and is near the centre of the frontier zone. There is another, named
the Leuven (marked only in Colonel Maunsell’s Map of 1904), which flows somewhat to
the west of Passova, forming the eastern limit of the frontier zone. Mr. Barclay
considered that the river which Turkey was claiming was the Leuven (see
Appendix (D) ).
The Russian Government considered it necessary and desirable that they should
decide, in concert with His Majesty’s Government, what course should now be pursued,
the unsuccessful efforts of the two countries to settle the question had not failed to
produce an unfavourable impression at Tehran, and an opening might thus be found for
the intervention of Germany, as that Power could base her interference on her Treaty
with Persia of 1873 (Article XVIIT), and might thereby materially strengthen her
position in Persia.
On the 30th October an identic communication, in the following terms, was made
to the Porte by the British and Russian Representatives :—
“ Aide-memoire.
“ II y a a pen pres une annee qu’un differend a surgi entre la Turquie et la Perse a la suite de
I’occupation par des troupes Ottomanes des localites qui depuis quelque temps formaient un objet
de contestation entre ces deux Puissances, Vazne et Lahidjan, ainsi que de Pesve, qui indubitable-
men t est situe sur le territoire Persan.
“ Les Representants des deux Puissances mediatrices, 1’Angleterre et la Russie, ont a plus
dune reprise ete charges par leurs Gouvernements respectifs de recommander aux deux
Puissances Musulmanes de s’entendre sur une ligne de frontiere a fixer dans ces parages. Des
Commissaires Ottoman et Persan ont ete envoyes dans ce but sur les lieux, mais ainsi qu’il
resulte des informations parveuues tout recemment aux Cabinets de Londres et de Saint-
Petersbourg, les negociations entre les dits Commissaires n’ont point abouti, et le differend risque
de se compliquer.
“ Dans cet etat de choses le Gouvernement Persan a cm devoir intervenir aupres des dits
Cabinets pour les prier de proposer a la Sublime Porte de recourir aux bons offices des Puissances
mediatrices p<>ur la solution du differend en question.
“ La zone dans les limites de laquelle la ligne de frontiere entre la Turquie et la Perse
devrait ctre fixee ayant etc precedemment definie par les Commissaires des deux Puissances
mediatrices, les Gouvernements dAngleterre et de Russie, etant animes du desir de contribner
a une solution equitable des contestations pendantes et au retablissement des rapports de bon
voisinage entre les deux Puissances Musulmanes, sont prets a user de nouveau de leurs bons
offices, et de nommer des Commissaires, qui, conjointement avec les Commissaires Ottoman et
Persan. auraient a fixer la frontiere dans les limites de la dite zone.
“ En portant cette proposition a la connaissance du Gouvernement Imperial Ottoman, le
Charge d’Affaires dAngleterre et TAmbassadeur de Russie se plaisent a esperer que, confiant dans
les sentiments d’irnpartialite qui animent les deux Puissances mediatrices, la Sublime Porte
n’hesitera pas a adherer a la proposition ci-dessus exposee.”
This communication was not unfavourably received at the Porte, and Mr. Barclay
reported :—
“ Neither to M. Maykow nor to me did the Grand Vizier or Tewfik Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. evince any
unwillingness to have recourse to the good offices of the mediating Powers in the event of the
two Moslem Powers being unable to come to an agreement by themselves. Tewfik Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. ,
indeed, spoke to me of our mediation as being the natural solution in such a contingency, adding
that recourse to our good offices was quite admitted in principle. They told me, however, that
they had suggested to the Persian Government that, as Persia objected to tie frontier
proposed by the Ottoman Commissioner, she should make a counter-proposal, and that they
had heard the day before from the Turkish Ambassador at Tehran that instructions had been
sent in the desired sense to the Persian Commissioner, and until the Porte knew the nature
of the Persian counter-proposal they were not in a position to reply to our communication.”
Mr. Barclay,
No. 719,
October 26, 1906.
To Sir A . Nicolson,
No. 467.
October 16, 1906.
Mr. Barclay,
No. 729,
October 30, 1906.