File 4535/1928 Pt 8 ‘ – PERSIAN GULF – QUESTION OF ESTABLISHMENT OF PROTECTORATES OVER KOWEIT, BAHREIN, MUSCAT, TRUCIAL COAST.’ [‎80r] (153/194)

:as likely to rouse suspicion in the neighbouring Arab peoples, to provoke
n. jea ous} o othei l owers, and to inv'olve His Majesty’s Government and
The Government of India in heavy obligations, both military and financial.
1 heir view was accepted by the Secretary of State for India; the
WaS ( ro PP ed and matters continued to rest on the declaration
or 1914 quoted in para. 12 above. On the general question of status
being specifically raised m connection with the preparation of a Koweit
Order in Council A regulation issued by the sovereign of the United Kingdom on the advice of the Privy Council. , the Foreign Office in July 1921 expressed the view
tliat, irom the legal standpoint and on the understanding that there was
no intention of including Koweit within the boundaries of Mesopotamia,
tin? status ol this territory would appear to be governed by Article 132 of
the Treaty of Sevres.” It was subsequently agreed that a final decision
° a i m q 1 uestlOD 1 of stat , us must await the signature of the Treaty of Peace
V V i no^ 1 " ’ an ' ^ ie Lreat - vof Lausanne having been signed in the autumn
25 ly-o, steps were taken to introduce an Order in Council A regulation issued by the sovereign of the United Kingdom on the advice of the Privy Council. providing for
British jurisdiction within the territory of the Sheikh. That territory, as
stated in para. 2 above, may now lie regarded as an independent Arab State
under British protection, but not a British protectorate.
Letter from F.O. to 1.0 ,
July 25 1921, P. 3495.
23. The questions of most importance which have arisen in Koweit since
the conclusion of the War are the following •—
o
A. Internal:—
(1) Koweit Order in Council A regulation issued by the sovereign of the United Kingdom on the advice of the Privy Council. providing for British jurisdiction within
the Principality.
(2) Termination of the lease of Bunder Shweikh.
B. External:—
(1) Relations icith Ibn Sainl —
(a) Koweit-Nejd-Iraq boundary question ;
(b) Koweit-Nejd Customs question ;
(c) The Akhwan menace.
(2) Relations with Iraq —
(а) Exemption from taxation of date gardens in Iraq of the Sheikh of
Koweit;
(б) Position of Koweit vis-d-vis Iraq.
(3) Relations with Persia.
Letter from C.C. to G. of
Internal Questions, 1919-28.
{a) The Koweit Order in Council A regulation issued by the sovereign of the United Kingdom on the advice of the Privy Council. .
T 1 “ 4 ; Th . que stmn of extending the scope of the “ Persian Coast and
Islands Order in Council A regulation issued by the sovereign of the United Kingdom on the advice of the Privy Council. , 190/,” had been under consideration before the
War, but no decision had been reached upon it, the difficulty in respect of
Koweit having principally been the undesirability of taking action before a
settlement should have been arrived at with Turkey in regard to the Arab
Littoral. In December 1919 the Civil Commissioner at Baghdad again
raised - the question of passing a jurisdictional Order in Council A regulation issued by the sovereign of the United Kingdom on the advice of the Privy Council. for Koweit. L Dec 22 19]9 , 97/2 ^
he 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. , expressed the opinion, however,! that, although the Order t i.o. letter to p.<k. jnL 8
\as desirable in itself and though there would be advantage in issuing it at 1920 > p - ^733 20 .
an early date, it was desirable to postpone action until a decision had been
taken on the machinery for the administration of the Mesopotamian Mandate
and the effect of the Mandate upon the relations of His Majesty’s Government
with contiguous countries. This view was accepted by the Foreign Office!
and the matter was allowed to rest for a year.
25.. The question was again raised in the summer of 1921 by the Hi off
Gommissioner m Iraq, who recommended (a view in which the Government
? f 11( \ d co mmrre(l)§ that the promulgation of an Order in Council A regulation issued by the sovereign of the United Kingdom on the advice of the Privy Council. need not §Tei. from viceroy
Je ±urt her delayed now that Turkey was recognised as having lost suzeraintv fo^
over the Principality. The matter was referred to the Colonial Office who ’ 7
under the recommendations of the Masterton-Smith Committee, had become
responsible.for policy on the Arab Littoral of the Persian Gulf The historical term used to describe the body of water between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. . On reference
0 , le foreign Office they were informed that, from the legal point of view
and on the supposition that there was no intention of including Koweit
Within the boundaries of Mesopotamia, the status of that territory would
8eem t0 b e governed by Article 132 of the Treaty of Sevres under which
J F.O. to I.O., June 14
1920, P. 4660/20.
to
Feb. 22 .