File 53/1915 Pt 5 'German War: Turkey; Arab Kingdom; the Petrograd negotiations' [‎119v] (243/436)

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co-operation of the Arabs is secured, and that the Arabs fulfil the conditions and
obtain the towns of Homs, Hama, Damascus, and Aleppo.
It is accordingly understood between the French and British Governments
1 . That France and Great Britain are prepared to recognise and frinout^^
independent Arab State or a Confederation of Arab States in the areas (a) and (b)
marked on the annexed map, under the suzerainty of an Arab chief. That in area
(o) France, and in area (b) Great Britain, shall have priority of right of enterprise and
local loans. That in area (a) France, and in area ( 6 ) Great Britain, shall alone supply
advisers or foreign functionaries at the request of the Arab State or Confederation of
Arab States.
2 . That in the blue area France, and in the red area Great Britain, shall be
allowed to establish such direct or indirect administration or control as they desire and
as they may think fit to arrange with the Arab State or Confederation of Arab States.
3. That in the brown area there shall be established an international
administration, the form of which is to be decided upon after consultation with Russia
and subsequently in consultation with the other Allies, and the representatives of the
Shereef of Mecca.
4. That Great Britain be accorded ( 1 ) the ports of Flaifa and Acre, ( 2 ) guarantee
of a given supply of water from the Tigris and Euphrates in area (a) for area (b).
His Majesty’s Government, on their part, undertake that they will at no time enter into
negotiations for the cession of Cyprus to any third Power wfithout the previous consent
of the French Government.
o. That Alexandretta shall be a free port as regards the trade of the British
Empire, and^ that there shall be no discrimination in port charges or facilities as
regards British shipping and British goods ; that there shall be freedom of transit for
British goods through Alexandretta and by railway through the blue area, whether
those goods are intended for or originate in the red area, or (b) area, or area (a); and
there shall be no discrimination, direct or indirect, against British goods on any
railway or against British goods or ships at any port serving the areas mentioned.
that Haifa shall be a tree port as regards the trade of France, her dominions and
protectorates, and there shall be no discrimination in port charges or facilities as
regards rench shipping and h rench goods. There shall be freedom of transit for
French goods through Haifa and by the British railway through the brown area,
whether those goods are intended for or originate in the blue area, area (a), or area (b),
and there shall be no discrimination, direct or indirect, against French goods on any
railway, or against French goods or ships at any port serving the areas mentioned.
0 . that in area (a) the Bagdad Railway shall not be extended southwards beyond
Mosul, and in area (b) northwards beyond Samarra, until a railway connecting Bagdad
with Aleppo via the Euphrates \ alley has been completed, and then only with the
concurrence of the two Governments.
t. That Great Britain has the right to build, administer, and be sole owner of a
radway connecting Haifa with area ( 6 ), and shall have a perpetual right to transport
troops along such a line at all times.
It is to be understood by both Governments that this railway is to facilitate
the connection of Bagdad with Haifa by rail, and it is further understood that, if the
engineering difficulties and expense entailed by keeping this connecting line in the
aiown area only make the project unfeasible, that the French Government shall be
piepared to consider that the line in question may also traverse the polygon Banias-
ixeis Marib-balkhad lell Otsda-Mesmie before reaching area (b).
. oi a peiiod of twenty years the existing Turkish customs tarilf shall remain in
ouc thioughout the whole of the blue and red areas, as well as in areas (a) and (b),
a I 1 < q 1 11 5 ) increase i n the rates of duty or conversion from ad valorem to specific rates
Jl e ma d e except by agreement between the two Powers.
nere snail be no interior customs barriers between any of the above-mentioned
areas, the customs duties leviable on goods destined for the interior shall be collected
at t le port of entry and handed over to the administration of the area of destination.
.’ } s iall be agreed that the French Government will at no time enter into any
negotiations ior the cession of their rights and will not cede such rights in the blue
area to any third Power, except the Arab State or Confederation of Arab States,
wit iom t le pievious agreement of His Majesty’s Government, who, on their part, will
gi\e a sum ai undertaking to the French Government regarding the red area.
10 . 1 lie British and drench Govpi-nmpntg aa tBg. n f ^ 1 i sfinit**
s la agiee that they will not themselves acquire and will not consent to a third Power
acquimig temtonal possessions in the Arabian peninsula, nor consent to a third
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