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Coll 17/4 'Iraq-Syria & Syria-Transjordan frontier: delimitation' [‎72v] (157/788)

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The record is made up of 1 volume (386 folios). It was created in 1 Jun 1921-27 Oct 1932. It was written in English and French. 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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Annex B.
San Remo sought by mutual consent a practical solution of these piobiems.
negotiations undertaken for this purpose by the two Govern
ments resS in the signature of the Franco-Bntrsh Convent.on of the
23 rd ArS b l ofS convention fixed the boundaries between the territories for
which tOe mandates are respectively exercised by His Majesty s Government m
the United Kingdom and the Government of the French Republic
According to the terms of article 2, a mixed commission was to be established
to traee°on the spot the boundaries so fixed. The same article stipulated that any
dispute that should arise in connexion with the work of this commission would be
referred to the Council of the League of Nations whose decision would be final
The two Governments subsequently decided that the commission shou d
conform to the provisions of article 29 of the Treaty of Sevres regarding the lines
to be A;fcomm 1 issifn 0 met d in June 1921 and proceeded to carry out the delimitation
of the frontier from the Mediterranean as far as El Hamme
Beyond this point it was confronted with the difficulty of establishing a line
which should take account of local conditions. The commission being satisfied
that it was impossible, in the existing circumstances, to overcome this dimcuity,
suspended its operations, which have not since been resumed.
The resumption of these operations presupposed the issue to the commission
of directions agreed upon between His Majesty’s Government in the United
Kingdom and the Government of the drench Republic, and an examination ot the
conditions of the application of the Franco-British Convention of the
23rd December, 1920, could not usefully be undertaken between the two Govern
ments before a definite allotment had been carried out of all the territories to
which this convention applies. . . „ i
This last condition having been fulfilled by decision of the Council ot tne
League dated the 16th December, 1925, and by the signature of the Franco-
Turkish Protocol of the 22nd June, 1929, His Majesty’s Government in the
United Kingdom and the Government of the Republic proceeded to carry out a
combined enquiry into the problem of the section of the frontier not yet delimited,
which is defined by the Franco-British Convention of the 23rd December, 1920.
The frontier not vet demarcated comprises two sections :—*
(a) The frontier between Syria, the Jebel Druze and Transjordan Used in three contexts: the geographical region to the east of the River Jordan (literally ‘across the River Jordan’); a British protectorate (1921-46); an independent political entity (1946-49) now known as Jordan .
(b) The frontier between Syria and Iraq.
As regards (a), the Syria-Jebel Druse- Transjordan Used in three contexts: the geographical region to the east of the River Jordan (literally ‘across the River Jordan’); a British protectorate (1921-46); an independent political entity (1946-49) now known as Jordan section, His Majesty’s
Government in the United Kingdom and the Government of the Republic have
succeeded in arriving at a solution of the problems which confronted them, and
have agreed, subject to the approval of the Council of the League of Nations,
upon a line which can be delimited on the ground by a commission such as is
contemplated by article 2 of the said convention.
As regards (b), the Syria-Iraq section, the two Governments found
themselves faced with difficulties analogous to those which had stopped the work
of the commission in 1921. The difficulties were two-fold. In the first pHoe,
divergencies of opinion existed as to the exact interpretation of the frontier whien
article 1 of the convention was intended to define. Secondly, it was found that
whatever interpretation was placed upon article 1 of the said convention, a
frontier drawn in strict conformity therewith would be likely to be unsatisfactory
in certain sectors for military, political, administrative, tribal, economic, geo
graphical or other reasons. f
His Majesty’s Government in the United Kingdom and the Government or
the Republic consider that it is not within the competence of a Delimitation
Commission, such as that referred to in article 2 of the convention, to modify the

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Content

Papers regarding negotiations to amend the borders between French-mandated Syria, and British-mandated Iraq and Trans-Jordan. The papers discuss the boundaries established by the Sykes-Picot Agreement and the Treaty of Sèvres, the British push for the inclusion of Amadiyah within the Iraq mandated territories, and the issue of tribal groups crossing border regions. The papers primarily consist of communications between the Foreign Office, the Secretary of State for the Colonies, and the High Commissioner for Iraq, with occasional commentary from 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. Political Department.

The file also contains copies of treaties, minutes and appendices from the Committee of Imperial Defence, Standing Sub-Committee for Questions Concerning the Middle East, and minutes and documents circulated by the Council of the League of Nations, including:

  • Memorandum by the High Commissioner for Iraq, stating objections to the frontiers established by the Treaty of Sèvres, including two maps, ff 375-380.
  • Minutes and appendices of the Foreign Office meeting of 13 July 1931, including copies of the Humphrys-Ponsot Draft for Combined Reference to the Council of the League of Nations, and a copy of the Agreement between HMG Her or His Majesty’s Government in London. and the French Government respecting the Boundary Lines between Syria and Palestine from the Mediterranean to El Hammé, Treaty Series No. 13 (1923), ff 315-349.
  • Papers circulated at the Committee of Imperial Defence Sub-Committee meeting of 8 September 1931, including correspondence with the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs concerning the Beirut formula, ff 238-314.
  • Minutes of the Committee of Imperial Defence Sub-Committee meeting of 23 September 1931, including a sketch map of the Syria-Trans-Jordan frontier, and a report by the British Resident at Trans-Jordan, ff 141-209.
  • Second report by Sir Francis Humphrys on his negotiations in Paris regarding the Syrian frontier, and annexes comprising draft agreements, ff 67-75.
  • Excerpt minutes of the 65th Session of the Council of the League of Nations, 9 December 1931, including copies of the joint request for arbitration submitted by Britain and France, ff 48-66; plus minutes of the sessions on 31 October 1931, and 30 January 1932, ff 37-46.
  • Copy of the League of Nations Mandate, Report of the Commission entrusted by the Council with the Study of the Frontier between Syria and Iraq, Geneva, 10 September 1932 (Official reference: C. 578. M. 285. 1932. VI), ff 6-28, which includes four maps (IOR/W/L/PS/12/2848 (i), IOR/W/L/PS/12/2848 (ii), IOR/W/L/PS/12/2848 (iii) and IOR/W/L/PS/12/2848 (iv)).

The volume includes a divider giving a list of correspondence references contained in the volume by year. This is placed at the end of the correspondence (folio 4).

Extent and format
1 volume (386 folios)
Arrangement

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

Physical characteristics

Foliation: the main foliation sequence (used for referencing) commences at the inside front cover with 1, and terminates at the inside back cover with 388; 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 4-385; these numbers are also written in pencil, but are not circled.

Written in
English and French in Latin script
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Coll 17/4 'Iraq-Syria & Syria-Transjordan frontier: delimitation' [‎72v] (157/788), British Library: India Office Records and Private Papers, IOR/L/PS/12/2848, in Qatar Digital Library <https://www.qdl.qa/archive/81055/vdc_100054845814.0x00009e> [accessed 28 March 2024]

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