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Coll 17/30(2) 'Proposed additional outlet to the sea in or near Kuwait territory. Development of port at Um Qasr.' [‎61r] (121/289)

The record is made up of 1 file (141 folios). It was created in 9 Sep 1942-21 Apr 1945. It was written in English. 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. .

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(^T
Copy.
(E 3138/124/93).
Note on discussions between 1938 and 1942 regarding the
construction of a port on the Khor Zubair, with reference to
the question of the Koweit-Irao frontier .
In 1938 the Iraqi Government informed us of their
desire to have another outlet to the sea in addition to Basra.
At first the possibility was considered of finding a site in
Koweit Bay, but it was later decided that a port somewhere on
the Khor Zubair would be better. . It may be noted that in
raising the question in 1938 Taufiq Suwaidi (then Iraqi
Foreign Minister) mentioned Urn Qasr specifically as a probable
site and referred to the_ jieceasity of altering the Koweit-Iraq
frontier in favour of Iraq in order to place the site in Iraqi
terrTtbry. (E 57(13/2094/93 of 19 38). . . In subsequent
discussions between the interested Departments in London two
alternative sites were considered, one on the North and one on
the South side of Urn Qasr Creek (the small inlet off the Khor
Zubair just North of Urn Qasr itself); it was thought that
while the former site would certainly be in Iraq, the latter
would probably be in Koweit (E 5116 and E 6224/58/93 of 1939).
It was decided to communicate to the Iraqi Government
the conclusions reached by the British authorities regarding
the practicability of constructing a port somewhere on the Khor .
Zubair and in September 1939 Sir John Ward gave the Minister of
Communications and Works a report on a survey which he had made
of the Khor Abdullah + (see E 6801/58/93 of 1939). It is true
that in his report Sir John Ward referred specifically to a
port U just below Urn Qasr Creek'* and we might have been well-
advised to tell the Iraqis there and then that a port on this
site would impinge on Koweiti territory (this was certainly our
view at the time). But apart from the fact that we had every
reason to believe that the Iraqis were aware of the position
(vide Taufiq Suwaidi*s,statement in 1938 about rectifying the
frontier), it was clearly our intention to wait until the
Iraqis had decided where they wanted the port to be before
offering any comments on the possible political complications.
We were in fact still hoping - and continued to do so until the
whole position changed in 1941 - that the Iraqis would decide
to have the port North of Urn Qasr Creek, in which case no
complications as regards the land frontier would have occurred.
In any case, Sir John Ward*s report did not mention the question
of the frontier or the difficulties which might arise with
Koweit if the Iraqis decided on the site South of Urn Qasr Creek;
it confined itself to examining the practicability of the
project in relation to the physical requirements which would
have to be fulfilled.
In November 1939 the Iraqi Foreign Minister (Ali
Jaudat) informed His Majesty's Ambassador that the Iraqi ^
Government had been favourably impressed by Sir John Ward s
reoort and had decided to build a port 'hiear._IIm—Qnsr
(E~7601/58/93 of 1939). He went on to say that it would be
necessary to obtain certain territorial concessions from the
Sheikh of Koweit in order to safeguard the approaches to the
proposed port by securing Iraqi sovereignty over both banks of
the channel connecting it with the open sea; and he apparently
considered it sufficient for this purpose that Koweit should
cede Warbah and Bubiyan islands to Iraq. It will be seen that
the phrase "near Um Qasr" still left the exact location of the
port in doubt, although the specific mention in Sir John Ward s
report of a site "just below Um Qasr Creek" and Ali Jaudat s
reference to the report leaves little room for doubt that what
the Iraqis had in mind at this stage was a port located on the
Southern and Western side of Um Qasr creek. however that may
be. it appears that at this time we still preferred to wait until
+ This term was used loosely at the time and on o
occasions as including the Khor Zubair.
ther
the/

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Content

The file contains papers mainly relating to the port at Um Qasr (Umm Qasr). These papers mostly concern a notification of the schedule of dues and charges to be imposed by the Government of Iraq on vessels navigating to Um Qasr port (printed in the Iraq Government Gazette No. 24 of 14 June 1942); specifically, the response HM Ambassador to Iraq should make to the notification, with regards to the rights of the Sheikh [Shaikh] of Koweit [Kuwait], and the wider question of the disputed frontier between Iraq and Koweit.

The file also includes some correspondence relating to HM Government’s decision to dismantle the port installations at Um Qasr in 1945.

The papers in the file mainly consist of correspondence, 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. internal notes, 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. minutes, and copies of minutes of an interdepartmental meeting of representatives of 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. , the Military Sub-Committee, the Admiralty, the War Office, the Foreign Office, and the Port Director at Basra, of 27 August 1943, to discuss Um Qasr.

The main correspondents are the following: 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. , the Foreign Office, the External Affairs Department of the Government of India, 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. , and HM Ambassador, Baghdad (Sir Kinahan Cornwallis). Other correspondents include the Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. at Kuwait, and the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Persia and Iraq Command.

Extent and format
1 file (141 folios)
Arrangement

The papers are arranged in chronological order from the rear to the front of the file.

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the outside front cover with 1, and terminates at the last folio with 144; 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. An additional foliation sequence is present in parallel between ff 2-144; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.

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English in Latin script
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Coll 17/30(2) 'Proposed additional outlet to the sea in or near Kuwait territory. Development of port at Um Qasr.' [‎61r] (121/289), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2893, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100046545181.0x00007c> [accessed 29 March 2024]

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