Coll 30/23 'Persian Gulf. Koweit: Status. Position vis a vis Iraq and Ibn Saud. Boundaries of Koweit' [‎282v] (565/695)

O, 0. to P.O., July 9 1921,
P. 3078/21.
F.O. to C.O., July 25 1921,
P. 3495/21.
* Letter from F.O, to I.O.,
Mar. 3 192G. P. 808.
t G. of I. Notification of
1916, Sept. 25 1925,
P. 3434/25.
£ Letter from G. of I. to
T.O.. 210 M., .Inn. 21 1926,
P. 488 26.
Letter from C.O. to I.O.,
Jan. 20 1925, P. 201/25 and
P. 1101/25.
Viceroy to S. of S., tel.
427 S.,'April 13 1920,
P. 2927/20.
Tel. from H.C., Baghdad,
to S. of S. for I., E. 97 S.,
Dec. 19 1920. P. 9001/20.
Tel. from H.C. to S.S. for I.,
88, May 8 1921, P. 2489/21.
Turkey renounced in favour of the principal Allied Powers all rights and
title over territories outside Europe not otherwise disposed of by the Treaty ;
that, in practice, provided some prior agreement were reached with the
Sheikh of Koweit, it would appear unlikely that any Foreign Powers would
challenge the issue of an Order in Council A regulation issued by the sovereign of the United Kingdom on the advice of the Privy Council. on the lines of the Bahrein Order
in Council of 191d (although the extension of British jurisdiction, as in that/'->
order, to foreigners might involve the prior concurrence of some Foreign
Powers), but that, while the High Commissioner in Iraq might be authorised
to open negotiations with the Sheikh with a view to ascertaining the measure
of British supervision which His Excellency was prepared to accept, the
actual issue of an Order in Council A regulation issued by the sovereign of the United Kingdom on the advice of the Privy Council. consolidating any agreement that m ight
be reached with the Sheikh should be postponed until the coming inlo force
of the Treaty of Peace with Turkey.
26. No further action was taken until the Treaty of Lausanne had been
signed and, owing to the necessity for departmental examination of the
provisions of the Order, the approval of His Majesty to an Order in Council A regulation issued by the sovereign of the United Kingdom on the advice of the Privy Council.
was not finally obtained until 17th March 1925. Under the Order in
question jurisdiction over British subjects and protected persons, the
subjects and protected persons of non-Moslem foreign Governments, and
Koweit subjects or the subjects of other Moslem Governments registered in
the Office of 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. as being regularly employed by British
subjects or subjects of non-Moslem foreign Governments, was vested in 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. subject to the general control of, and a right of appeal to,
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. . It may be noted* that, no
foreign Power having consented to the exercise of jurisdiction over its
nationals in Koweit by His Majesty, 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. was instructed, at
the request of the Foreign Office, that, in the event of a national of a non-
Moslem Power committing some crime or misdemeanour necessitating
proceedings against him, or of such a person becoming involved in civil
proceedings, the matter should at once be brought to the notice of Ilis
Majesty’s Government who, on learning that such a case had arisen, would
take steps to ascertain from the Government of the person concerned whether
they desired that the case should be dealt with under the Koweit Order in
Council. The Order in Council A regulation issued by the sovereign of the United Kingdom on the advice of the Privy Council. came into force in the 1st October 1925,1*
but the concurrence of the Sheikh in the delegation of jurisdiction over the
classes of person in question was not finally obtained until November 1925.if
Since that date various Rules of Court and King’s Regulations have been
issued under the Koweit Order in Council A regulation issued by the sovereign of the United Kingdom on the advice of the Privy Council. , but no point of importance has
arisen in connection with its operation. 27 28 * * *
27. It may be recorded that, a clearer understanding as to responsibility,
as between the interested Departments of His Majesty’s Government, for the
internal administration of Koweit having been reached by that stage, the
preparation and issue of the Order in Council A regulation issued by the sovereign of the United Kingdom on the advice of the Privy Council. of 1925 were, by agreement
with the Colonial Office, left to be dealt with by 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. in
conjunction with the Foreign Office.
(b) The Bunder Shweikh Lease.
28. The question of terminating the lease of Bunder Shweikh, the earlier
history of which is given in the Foreign Office Memorandum of 1908, and
the engagements entered into in connection with which by His Majestv’s
Government are shown in the Precis of Treaties appended to the present
Memorandum, came up for consideration on the conclusion of the W ar.
After considerable correspondence during 1919-20, the Government of India
recommended in April 1920 that the lease should be terminated as the Sheikh
had maintained a consistently obstructive attitude towards His Majestv’s
Government. Uncertainty as to the status of Koweit, under the Peace Treaty,
and consideration of the political effect on the Sheikh of withdrawal of the
subsidy which the rent of Bunder Shweikh in fact constituted, of the
possibility of bringing pressure to bear on His Excellency in other ways,
and of the question of retaining the site at a reduced rent, &c., prevented a
decision before the death of Sheikh Salim in February 1921. His Majesty’s
Government subsequently decided in consultation with the Government of
India to terminate the lease of the Bunder Shweikh lands, while agreeing,