Coll 17/15(1) 'Perso-Iraq Relations: Persia-Iraq frontier; Persia's claim in the Shatt-el-Arab' [‎152v] (315/961)

m
dispute been carried to a legal tribunal, the result might have been far otherwise
Did I not think, therefore, that it would be better for the Council to aim at
promoting a friendly compromise ?
I said that the suggestion of reference to the Permanent Court had been put
forward because there appeared to be at present no basis for a compromise. Each
side appeared to be anxious for a friendly settlement of the difficulties which had
arisen on the frontier, and efforts had been made for some time past to reach such
a settlement. But they had all broken down on the legal point of the validity of
the existing line. I pointed out that a decision by The Hague Court would not of
course, finally settle the whole question. It might, however, pave the way for a
subsequent settlement of any difficulties to which the existing line had given rise
M. Ala asked whether, in our view, it should be the Council who should refer
to The Hague Court and not the two parties. I said that we had not got any
scheme worked out in detail, but that one course might be for the Council to ask
The Hague Court for an advisory opinion as a preliminary to promoting any
direct settlement between the parties. I said that the position was that°tliere
appeared to be a deadlock between the two parties on the legal issue. Obviously
it was difficult for either side to give way on that issue, and our suggestion had
been made in the hope of facilitating a solution by clearing that issue out of the
way without involving a surrender which both parties might find it difficult to
make.
M. Ala said he appreciated this. He still thought, however, that the Council
should make an attempt to get a compromise without reference to the legal issue,
and M. Kazemi wished him to ask that His Majesty’s Government should use
their good offices, and more than that, their support, in inducing the Iraqi Govern
ment to depart from their present intransigent attitude regarding the line in the
Shatt-el-Arab. What the Persian Government wanted was that Iraq should
agree to a division of sovereignty in the Shatt.
I said that this was a request which I should have to refer to higher authority.
His Majesty s Government, of course, desired a just settlement of this dispute,
ihey would like to see it out of the way in the interests of their own friendly
relations with Persia as well as in view of their special relations with Iraq. They
had, m fact, already done their best in the past to bring about a practical settle-
ment. I referred to the proposed Conservancy Convention. Persia had not
followed up this attempt and it had broken down, according to the Persian state
ment before theJLeague, because it did not give Persia a share of the sovereignty
m the bhatt. bpeaking personally, it seemed to me that it might be difficult
• 01 f^ a J est y s Government to urge the Iraqi Government to make a concession
in the bhatt. M. Ala must bear in mind the special bond which existed between
i aq and ourselves. In any case, might not Nuri Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. be in an extremely difficult
posi ion with ^Nationalist opinion in Iraq if he agreed to what would certainly
be represented as a surrender to the Persians ? M. Ala asked whether he was to
um ei s and from this that we would not be prepared to use our influence in favour
o the solution which he had suggested. I replied that I was not at present in a
Jr • } 0l j ? answe r to his request one way or the other. It was a matter
S 0L k- i^r Ve re ^ er higher authority. I was merelv indicating the
difficulties which I personally foresaw.
,A„ Ala Commenced a diatribe against Nuri Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. , whom he represented
y yyransrgent. Other Iraqi statesmen had shown an inclination to
tho/ihic b ’ U A lU * P as ha would not yield an inch on this question. I observed
to find » Z aS n r 1 my lm P ression - I understood that Nuri Pasha An Ottoman title used after the names of certain provincial governors, high-ranking officials and military commanders. had done his best
Side wn! A ? se V e , ment , but all attempts had broken down because neither
side was prepared to yield on the legal issue.
soYcroifnit,■ 1 ,, 't*!! V/ 6 ' 1 . wh V bbe Iraqis were so apprehensive of giving equaj
interests would tfi • ? lsl ^ ns ln the Shatt. Why did they suppose that Iraqi
ono-ht in tffiu er , e ‘X damaged? The relations between the two countries
frfnkd I thnnTvu T ! m F OTe ynd not to deteriorate. I said that, speaking
take thf law iS ^ he I \ al troub,e was that th e Persians had apparent?
arguments ahonf k ‘h 61 , 1 ' own I did not wish to enter into any of the
, i e „ "htv of the frontier. That was a purely legal question
, W .!"Tjf aS /: l . p, ? bIe °. f . bem g decided by an impartial body, and I did not wish to be
the fact remained that il M< es on . an ; s sue that was evidently complicated. Bn
that, aocordinc tn tl,, C'.'' 6 ln ex ' stence a boundary actually demarcated, and
e , ar l 1 Government, the Persian Government, instead o