File 2764/1904 Pt 3 'Baghdad Railway: general negotiations 1910-1912.' [‎244r] (498/544)

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[This Document is the Property of His Britannic Majesty's Government]
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^BAGDAD RAILWAY.
jUU9W
[June 27.]
SECRET.
Section 4.
[22859]
No. 1.
(U
Sir G. Lowiher to Sir Edward Grey.—(Received June 27.)
(No. 392.) '
Sir, _ _ _ Therapia, June 20, 1910. ,+
IA T obedience to the instructions contained in your despatch NoA155, Secret, of G^f f0 )
the 6 th instant in regard to the Bagdad Railway, I to-day told Rifaat Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. that you
were expecting a reply to your despatch of the 20 th^April, translation of which I had
\ read to him and left with him on the 3rd May last.
I added that I had understood from the conversation I then had with him and
the Grand Vizier that he would have some more satisfactory reply to give you than
that given to me on that occasion, as he had undertaken to discuss the matter with the
Grand Vizier and lay certain proposals before you. His Excellency, however, merely
repeated what he had said to you, as recorded in your despatch No. 155, Secret, of the
6 th instant, and added that as Baron Marschall had left on leave of absence he had had
no opportunity of speaking to him, and he did not know whether the charge d’affaires
would be authorised to discuss the matter with him. In the contrary case, he would
instruct the Turkish Ambassador in Berlin to induce the German Government to give
up the Bagdad-Gulf section of the concession, and let Turkey make part of the line
herself, and in spite of the doubts expressed by you as to the success of the negotiations
he was still sanguine.
Rifaat Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. eventually promised to reply in the same manner in which our
communication had been made, namely, in a despatch to be addressed to Tewfik Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. ,
copy of which would be left with you.
I may add that Rifaat Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. made no allusion to the fact that they were not
prepared to froisser the Germans by giving a concession to a British company, but he
did say that they would be confronted with great difficulties if they began a bargaining
process over the 4 per cent, customs increase, as once it was known that a concession
was to be made to us the French would demand another, and other Powers would
follow suit.
I have, &c.
GERARD LOWTHER.