Coll 6/65 'Relations between Saudi-Arabia and the Yemen.' [‎108v] (216/917)

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in the knots of a formal understanding if you should need to trust to his neutrality
1 am not ignoring the reference in article 19 to the possibility of an ultimate
customs union, but that need not, I think, be taken very seriously at present.
6 . The only other point to which I need advert is the reference to secrecy
in the first pair of annexed letters. The Saudi letter suggests that the treaJW
should be kept secret, especially the part relative to the frontiers, for fear^or
disturbances, more particularly in the coastal region. It might have been
supposed that this reason would operate until the Saudi evacuation had been
complete, but Ibn Saud and his Government seem to have been content in the end
to delay publication only until their preliminary conditions had been fulfilled and
the coming into force of the treaty was assured.
7. I am sending copies of this despatch and enclosures to His Majesty’s
Ambassador, Rome, His Majesty’s Chief Commissioner, Aden, the Hon. the
Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. , Bushire, his Excellency the High
Commissioner for Palestine, Jerusalem, His Majesty’s Ambassador, Bagdad,
and His Majesty’s High Commissioner, Ramleh.
I have, &c.
ANDREW RYAN.
Enclosure in No. 1 .
Annotated Summary of the Saudi-Yemen Peace Treaty concluded at Taif on the
§th Safar, 1353 (equivalent to the 20th May, 1934, hut no European date is
given).
Heading. —“ Treaty of Islamic Friendship and Arab Brotherhood between
the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Kingdom of the Yemen.”
Preamble. —Appointment of plenipotentiaries, the Amir Khalid-bin-Abdul-
Aziz for Ibn Saud and Abdullah-bin-Ahmed-al- Wazir Minister. for the Imam, to conclude
a treaty as described in the heading in order to realise the objects stated.
Note.— Among the objects are the termination of the state of war;
" uniting the word of the Moslem Arab nation, raising its position, and
maintaining its prestige and independence and the creation of “ a united
front against eventualities and a solid structure to preserve the security of
the Arab Peninsula.”
Article 1 . State of war ends as from the date of signature of the treaty;
perpetual peace and firm and everlasting Moslem Arab brotherhood. Disputes
to be settled in spirit of friendship and all relations to be governed by the spirit
of the same brotherhood. God called upon to witness the good intentions of the
parties. Prayer for His blessing.
Art. 2. Mutual recognition by each party of the complete independence and
sovereignty of the other and his lawful successors. Abandonment of past claims
by either to territory on the other side of the frontier now established.
Note. —Express mention is made in the renunciation clause of possible
claims by Ibn Saud to territory formerly possessed by the Idrisis or others
in what is now recognised as Yemeni, and claims by the Imam on grounds
of Yemen unity or otherwise in respect of territory formerly possessed by
the Idrisis or the Beni Aidh or of Najran and the Yam country.
Art. 3. Neither party to concede to the other less than he concedes to any
third party. Neither bound to concede more to the other than he gets in return.
Note. —Apparently intended as a most-favoured-nation clause.
Art. 4. Description of agreed frontier.
Note. —This long and elaborate clause is very difficult to follow owing
to the lack of accurate maps and the wealth of unfamiliar geographical and
tribal names. It proceeds on the double plan of indicating the general lie
of the frontier line and then naming places and tribes which fall on one or
the other side. The line runs east from the coast to the mountains of