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Coll 30/87(2) Part I 'Qatar: Oil Concession.' [‎364v] (747/1310)

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The record is made up of 4 volumes (639 folios). It was created in 14 Jan 1935-8 Nov 1944. It was written in English and Arabic. 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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4
a condition considered to he good and satisfactory, as they were at that time.
\nd if the said cancellation should take place after thirty-five years from the
date ol signature of this Agreement, all the Company’s properties within the State
of Qatr shall be surrendered, in that case, to the Shaikh, free of charge ; and the
wells actually producing at the time of the said cancellation shall be surrendered
in a condition which is reasonably considered good and satisfactory, as they were
at that time. .
On the termination of this Agreement at the conclusion of the seventy-five years,
stipulated for in the Second Article, or the conclusion of any extension or renewal
of its period all the Company’s properties existing in the State of Qatr shall be
surrendered to the Shaikh free of charge ; and the wells actually producing at that
time shall be surrendered in a condition which is reasonably considered good and
satisfactory, as they used to be at that time.
Article Fourteenth .—The Shaikh has the right to cancel this Agreement in the
two cases mentioned below 7 : —
(A) If the Company fails to pay the sums mentioned in the Fourth Article
within six months from the date they fall due. Provided that if any dispute
should be made by the Company in regard to any payment thereof, the
Shaikh shall not cancel the Agreement until arbitration takes place thereon
in accordance with Article Sixteenth and unless the Company fails to
comply with the award of the arbitrators within three months from the
date of the said award.
(B) If the Company is in default according to the provisions for arbitration set
forth in the Sixteenth Article.
Article Fifteenth.—The Shaikh shall not hold the Company liable if default
should occur on the part of the Company in carrying out or fulfilling the provisions
of the Agreement by the mere occurrence of force majeure delaying operation ; but
should anj diffeience occui between Idis hxcellency the Shaikh and the Company
as to the existence or non-existence of such force majeure, the same shall be
referred to arbitration, as provided for in the Sixteenth Article. And the Shaikh
stipulates that the force majeure delaying operation means that which occurs in
connection with the Company’s operations in Qatr and that nothing else must be
taken into consideration and must not be used b} T the Company as an argument in
this respect. And the Company shall proceed to effect repairs at the time when any
damage^ of any nature, takes place, and the period of the said delay together with
any period reasonably necessary for repairing the damage will be’ added to the
period fixed m accordance with this Agreement.
«,g-icc iu i<iie miru aroitrator.
it a condition

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Content

The file concerns the signing of the agreement between the British Government, the Anglo-Persian Oil Company (APOC) (later the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company), and the Shaikh of Qatar, Abdullah bin Qasim al Thani [‘Abdullāh bin Jāsim Āl Thānī] to award the company an exclusive oil concession in Qatar (also spelled Qatr and Katr). The file also concerns preliminary oil explorations in Qatar, and the subsequent suspension of operations on the orders of the British Government.

The papers cover: discussion, drafts and text of the commercial agreement between the Shaikh of Qatar and APOC (signed 17 May 1935); discussion, draft and text of the political agreement between HM Government and APOC (signed 5 June 1935); the use by the Shaikh of modern, Egyptian Arabic to make comments on the draft (folios 624-625); British support for the proposal that disputes between foreign employees of the company and inhabitants of Qatar should not be submitted to the Shara [Sharia] courts (folio 604); intelligence on the activities of the Standard Oil Company [California-Arabia Standard Oil Company] (e.g. folio 443); British emphasis that military protection would be afforded to the Shaikh of Qatar on condition that he awarded the oil concession to APOC, and the assumption by Britain of responsibility for the protection of Qatar (e.g. folios 400-403); the transfer of the concession from the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company to Petroleum Development (Qatar) Limited (e.g. folios 335-357); the payment of salaries to the Shaikh's representatives (e.g. folios 294-295); water drilling operations by the company (e.g. folios 237-241); references to Qatar's disputed border with Saudi Arabia; reports of preliminary drilling results and first discoveries of oil (1939-41); employment of foreign personnel by Petroleum Concessions Limited in Qatar (folios 180-182); the suspension of drilling operations on the orders of HM Government in 1942 as a result of war conditions, including correspondence on the subject between British officials and the Shaikh of Qatar, 1942-43; note that the suspension had been ordered because the British military authorities were unable to spare sufficient personnel to ensure the destruction of the oil wells, should the military situation demand it (folio 41); correspondence dated 1944 concerning a proposed increase in world oil refining capacity; and further correspondence dated 1944 concerning the boundary between Qatar and Bahrain at Hawar Island.

The main correspondents are senior officials at 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. , representatives of the oil companies concerned, and 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. .

The Arabic language content of the file consists of approximately 30 folios of correspondence, largely between British officials and the Ruler of Qatar.

The file includes a divider, which gives a list of correspondence references contained in the file by year. This is placed at the back of the correspondence.

Extent and format
4 volumes (639 folios)
Arrangement

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

Physical characteristics

Foliation: this file consists of four physical volumes. The foliation sequence commences at the inside front cover of volume one (ff 1-161) and terminates at the inside back cover of volume four (ff 486-647); 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. A previous foliation sequence, which is also circled, has been superseded and therefore crossed out.

Written in
English and Arabic in Latin and Arabic script
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Coll 30/87(2) Part I 'Qatar: Oil Concession.' [‎364v] (747/1310), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/3806A, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100047810667.0x000094> [accessed 28 March 2024]

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