Coll 6/67(3) 'Boundaries of South Eastern Arabia and Qatar.' [‎265v] (537/830)

SIR ANDREW RYAN reminded Fuad Bey that this matter had been
discussed at the fourth meeting on the 5th July, when it had been agreed that
it involved points of form, rather than of substance. He had now been able to go
into the question more deeply, in consultation with the competent Department
of the Foreign Office. There were two difficulties connected with the note written
by Sir G. Clayton at the time of the conclusion of the Treaty of Jedda. That note
referred to the Arms Traffic Convention of 1925, and the reference implied
certain qualifications of the assurance contained in it. That convention was now,
however, dead, and a new agreement was in contemplation, which existed only
in draft form. There would be no new regulation, Sir A. Ryan understood,
providing for special zones, but, on the other hand, the question of possible
restrictions on the supply of arms in abnormal circumstances had attracted
increasing attention. It" would be necessary to devise a new formula more in
accordance with these developments than that embodied in the original note.
Mr. RENDER explained that the position was that it would be necessary for
His Majesty’s Government to qualify their assurance on the arms traffic in order
to bring it into line with any existing or impending international commitments
by which they might be bound, but that any such qualification would be one of
purely general application. There would be no question of discrimination
against Saudi Arabia as such.
FUAD BEY thanked Sir Andrew Ryan and Mr. Rendel for the explanations
they had given. He said that he had, however, been uneasy at hearing Mr. Rendel
at the fourth meeting on the 5th July, state that His Majesty’s Government did
not intend to treat the Saudi Government “in a less favourable way than any
other friendly country in a similar position.” He thought that the expression
“ in a similar position ” might imply discrimination.
Mr. RENDEL replied that he had been obliged to use the words quoted by
Fuad Bey on account of the provisions in the 1925 Arms Traffic Convention
establishing “ special zones ” in different parts of the world, within which the
signatory countries bound themselves to sell arms only to Governments or their
accredited agents, on account of the risk of any sale of arms to warlike and
turbulent tribal elements leading to unrest and possible revolts. He realised that
zones of this nature did imply a certain discrimination, but he pointed out that
it was essentially in the interests of the Governments of countries within the zones
that there should be a prohibition of the private import of arms and ammunition.
He understood from Sir Andrew Ryan, who had been in touch with the experts
on the suoject at the Foreign Office, that it was unlikely that any future Arms
Traffic Convention would contain provision for “ special zones.” Nevertheless,
he felt obliged to make a reservation on the point, as it was still possible that some
alternative system might eventually be adopted by which certain groups or
categories of countries should be subject to special ^regulations. He repeated,
however, that there would be no question of discrimination against Saudi Arabia
as such.
FUAD BET remarked that the Saudi Government were naturally more
anxious than anybody else that arms should not be supplied illicitly to private
individuals in their country. But they did not like any form of discrimination,
and they could only agree to safeguards such as those underlying the idea of
“ special zones ” if they were embodied in general terms applying to the world
as a whole.
After further discussion, SIR ANDREW RYAN undertook that as soon
as a copy of the new draft Arms Traffic Convention had been obtained, he would
try to work out a formula for embodying the original assurance of HisMajesty’s
Government in revised and up-to-date terms.
V.
Mr. RENDEL concluded the meeting by enquiring, with reference to the
discussion at the fourth meeting on the 5th July, whether Fuad Bey was now in a
position to make any statement about the recent conference between the delegates
ot Saudi Arabia and Koweit to discuss the problem of their mutual economic
relations.