Coll 17/15(2) 'Relations with Persia: Persia-Iraq frontier; Persia's claim in the Shatt-el-Arab' [6r] (22/1010)
The record is made up of 1 volume (502 folios). It was created in 21 Feb 1935-15 Jan 1936. It was written in English and French. The original is part of the British Library: India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Records and Private Papers Documents collected in a private capacity. .
Transcription
This transcription is created automatically. It may contain errors.
at Tehran), and even to start demarcation from the north; the intention is
presumably to make the description in outward appearance as different as possible
from that incorporated in the proceedings of 1914. In the Iraqi view, since the
1914 line is the line agreed upon, there is a grave risk of discrepancies if a new
description is accepted (indeed, the task of reversing a detailed description of a
Jong land boundary is a tour de force of a difficulty that can hardly be realised
3y anybody who has not tried it); furthermore, it seems absurd to attempt to
make the elaborate arrangements required for the Demarcation Commission at a
remote and inaccessible place in the mountains instead of in the plains and within
reach of large towns. It is true that part (b) of the Iraqi description, that of the
Shatt-el-Arab sector, where the 1914 alignment is to be modified, is drafted from
north to south. There are certain drafting advantages in this arrangement,
which follows the precedent set by Baron Alois! in his May proposal (May
narrative, paragraph 12, appendix E), but there would be no great harm in
.reversing the direction.
(c) The Persians, who in the first place objected to the presence of a neutral
member of the commission at all, endeavoured in their counter-draft to reduce his
status from that of a president to one almost resembling a camp-follower; he was
only to participate when officially and formally called in to decide cases of
disagreement. My experience on the Syrian Boundary Demarcation Commission
convinces me that such an arrangement would not work. There is no reason to
believe that a Persian representative would show more common sense and desire
to co-operate than our French colleague on that occasion. With a third party
present the numerous minor decisions to be taken daily, such as daily programmes
of work, choice of camp sites, position of pillars, formation of sub-commissions,
are taken almost unperceived, unobtrusively, and without friction; without his
presence trivialities are liable to become major causes of dissension.
{d) The Persians objected to the mention of the maps prepared in 1914.
33. It was naturally at article 5 (Persian draft 6) that the negotiations
reached a deadlock. The Persians were anxious to tie up the Shatt-el-Arab
arrangements so closely with the definition of the boundary that, for all time, the
two should stand or fall together. They therefore insisted that an article must
be inserted in the treaty covering the Shatt arrangements as an integral part
thereof. There was no such article in the original Iraqi draft, for the following
reasons : The Iraqi conception of the proposed Conservancy Board differed
profoundly from that of the Persians as indicated in annex 2 of their draft;
agreement at Geneva was out of the question; it could only be reached at Basra
itself, where the representatives of the parties could be assisted by their experts
and visualise the arrangements in situ\ until the differing views of the parties
had been in some degree reconciled, it would be difficult to find, for insertion in
a treaty, even a general form of words to cover two widely differing conceptions;
in any case, while the treaty settling the boundary question and the convention
for the Shatt-el-Arab should, of course, have equal sanctity and validity in
international law, it was on principle undesirable to combine in the same treaty
a boundary settlement which could remain unaltered for all time, and arrange
ments of a practical nature which might require modification to meet changing
circumstances or as the result of technical developments. Attached as
Appendix Of 1 ) for convenience of reference, as an attempt to define the policy
of the Iraqi Government as laid down in the instructions to the delegation, is a
draft article prepared by the delegation at Geneva but not used.
34. As regards the details of the Shatt Convention, it is only necessary to
mention here that M. Kazemi continued to show himself strongly opposed to the
participation of the United Kingdom as an actual party to the convention, or even
to any mention of the British nationality of the proposed neutral member of the
board.
35. Persian article 7, enumerating the other treaties and conventions to be
concluded between the parties, would be, in view of its ephemeral nature, really
quite out of place in a treaty of this kind. A revised list, which the Iraqi
Government would, nevertheless, have been prepared to insert if pressed, i&
attached as Appendix P.
36. Persian article 8 would be unnecessary, the matter being covered by
.article 7 of the treaty of non-aggression.
( 1 ) Not printed.
About this item
- Content
This volume is a continuation of Collection 17/5, and contains papers regarding negotiations between Persia [Iran] and Iraq at the League of Nations in 1935, mediated by Italian delegate Baron Pompeo Aloisi. The papers primarily consist of communications regarding the negotiations submitted to the Foreign Office by HM Ambassadors at Rome, Teheran and Baghdad, as well as comments by the India Office The department of the British Government to which the Government of India reported between 1858 and 1947. The successor to the Court of Directors. Political Department, the Admiralty, and representatives of the Governments of Persia, Iraq, and Italy.
The negotiations concerned the frontier line along the Shatt el-Arab, the possibility of granting a Persian anchorage at Abadan [Ābādān], the rights of Persian and British warships to traverse and refuel on the river, and the proposed establishment of a Conservancy Board. Following negotiations in Geneva, Rome and Tehran, the Persian and Iraqi Governments had practically agreed on three instruments: a pact of non-aggression, to be signed by Iraq, Persia and Turkey; a treaty for the peaceful settlement of international disputes between Persia and Iraq; and a treaty of friendship, which would settle the frontier question and establish the Conservancy Board.
In addition to the correspondence, the volume contains: documents circulated by the Council of the League of Nations; Reports on the Sessions of the Council submitted to the Foreign Office by C J Edmonds, Second Adviser to the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs; multiple drafts of the treaty of friendship and non-aggression treaties; and copies of notes exchanged by the Iraqi and Persian Ministers at the League of Nations. A number of these documents are written in French.
The volume includes a divider which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the volume by year. This is placed at the end of the correspondence (folio 1).
- Extent and format
- 1 volume (502 folios)
- Arrangement
The papers are arranged in rough chronological order from the rear to the front of the volume.
- Physical characteristics
Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the first folio with 1 and terminates at the last folio with 498; these numbers are written in pencil, are circled, and are located in the top right corner of the recto The front of a sheet of paper or leaf, often abbreviated to 'r'. side of each folio. The foliation sequence does not include the front and back covers, nor does it include the leading and ending flyleaves. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 1-498; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.
- Written in
- English and French in Latin script View the complete information for this record
Use and share this item
- Share this item
Coll 17/15(2) 'Relations with Persia: Persia-Iraq frontier; Persia's claim in the Shatt-el-Arab' [6r] (22/1010), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2870, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100045015589.0x000017> [accessed 17 April 2024]
https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100045015589.0x000017
Copy and paste the code below into your web page where you would like to embed the image.
<meta charset="utf-8"><a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100045015589.0x000017">Coll 17/15(2) 'Relations with Persia: Persia-Iraq frontier; Persia's claim in the Shatt-el-Arab' [‎6r] (22/1010)</a> <a href="https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100045015589.0x000017"> <img src="https://iiif.qdl.qa/iiif/images/81055/vdc_100000000602.0x00019c/IOR_L_PS_12_2870_0022.jp2/full/!280,240/0/default.jpg" alt="" /> </a>
This record has a IIIF manifest available as follows. If you have a compatible viewer you can drag the icon to load it.https://www.qdl.qa/en/iiif/81055/vdc_100000000602.0x00019c/manifestOpen in Universal viewerOpen in Mirador viewerMore options for embedding images
Copyright: How to use this content
- Reference
- IOR/L/PS/12/2870
- Title
- Coll 17/15(2) 'Relations with Persia: Persia-Iraq frontier; Persia's claim in the Shatt-el-Arab'
- Pages
- 4r:7r, 18r:21v, 305r:307v, 443r:445r
- Author
- Edmonds, Cecil John
- Usage terms
- The copyright status is unknown. Please contact copyright@bl.uk with any information you have regarding this item.