Papers of the War Cabinet's Eastern Committee [‎233r] (465/544)

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LOUD ROBERT CECIL : You would not deal with the Italians at all. You
would merely state in this document that we have got this recognition by the French,
and we must adhere to it.
MR. BALFOUR : But this is a document advising the Cabinet as to policy, and
if you leave it like that every member of the Cabinet will say, “ You have got this with
the French and that satisfies you. but it does not satisfy us ; we must get it out of the
Italians.”
LORD ROBERT CECIL : We want it out of the Italians, and it might turn out
to be easy. The negotiations might suddenly take a turn when you could say, “ Then
you do recognise you have no right there,” and they would say, “ Yes.”
MR. BALFOUR : I should put it like this : “ It is desirable, though perhaps not
possible, that the special position of Great Britain in Arabia should be recognised by
the Italian Government as it has already been recognised by the French.”
LORD ROBERT CECIL : That kind of thing would do very well.
LORD CURZON : This is the only place in which the Italian Government is
mentioned. Elsewhere we talk about “ the Powers.” Would you prefer not to specify
* them here ?
MR. BALFOUR : That would be a good plan.
LORD CURZON : “ It is desirable that the special position of Great Britain in
Arabia should be recognised by the Powers, as it has already been by the French
Government in the correspondence and negotiations of 191 ti and 1917.”
MR. BALFOUR : I like that better still.
LORD ROBERT CECIL : 1 do not object to that.
LORD CURZON : “ (2) His Majesty's Government are already pledged to secure
that the Holy Places shall remain in possession of an independent sovereign Moslem
Power. It is desirable, therefore, from the point of view more especially of Moslem
sentiment, that the restrictions on the independence and sovereignty of the King of the
Hejaz should be as few as possible.”
MR. BALFOUR: Are there any restrictions on his independence and sovereignty
which you contemplate ?
LORD CURZON : Yes. We go on presently to define what we mean. It would
be a restriction to say he must have a British Resident.
MR. BALFOUR : Do we say that later on ?
LORD CURZON : Later on we say he shall not. This is merely a general state
ment. That formula was drawn up in the Foreign Office, I think, as a general
preliminary.
MR. BALFOUR : I think it is right, except that I suppose it is followed by an
enumeration of the restrictions we do mean to provide ?
LORD CURZON : Yes, if you call the appointment of Consular Agents a restric
tion on sovereignty. I do not suppose it is.
MR. BALFOUR : What had you in mind ?
SIR LOUIS MALLET : 1 thought we ought to refer to his complete independence
and sovereignty.
MR. SHUCK BURGH : There is a restriction in No. 5.
SIR LOUIS MALLET: Yes.
LORD ROBERT CECIL : I think it is right as it stands.
MR. BALFOUR : You have read all the documents and I have not.
LORD ROBERT CECIL : We could not allow him to make a special arrangement
with every bod v.
MR. BALFOUR: No.
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