Coll 17/15(1) 'Perso-Iraq Relations: Persia-Iraq frontier; Persia's claim in the Shatt-el-Arab' [‎174v] (359/961)

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5 . Zohab (the ‘‘ Transferred Territories ”).
Apart from Mohammerah and the Shatt-el-Arab, the only part of what is
now the Perso-Iraqi frontier that is still liable to give rise to serious difficulty is
the district of Zohab, i.e., the district around Khaniqin and Qasr-i-Shirin. This
district has always been of strategical importance on account of the main route ^
from Bagdad to Tehran wdiieh passes through it, and more recently has acquired
an added importance from the discovery of oil.
2. Article 2 of the treaty of Erzerum stated that:—
“ Le Gouvernement de Perse s’engage a abandonner au Gouvernement
Ottoman tons les terrains plats, c’est-a-dire la partie occidentale, de la
province de Zohab; et le Gouvernement Ottoman, de son cote, s’engage a
abandonner au Gouvernement persan la partie orientale, c’est-a-dire tous les
terrains montagneux de la province de Zohab. avec la vallee de Kirind.”
It was nevertheless found necessary in 1912 and 1913 to provide for the with
drawal of Persia from the western part of the district, of which she had been in
occupation for a long period. The exact line to which the frontier was to be
withdrawn in order to comply with the Treaty of Erzerum was consequently the
subject of endless negotiations between the Turkish and Persian commissioners
at Constantinople in 1912.
3. The area eventually evacuated by Persia under the 1913 Protocol is
known as the “ Transferred territory,” and a special annex to the Protocol
provided that within it the Anglo-Persian Oil Company should have all the
rights vis-a-vis the Turkish Government that they would have had vis-a-vis the
Persian Government if it had remained Persian.
4. The memorandum submitted by the Persian Minister for Foreign Affairs
to the President of the Supreme Council on the 9th January, 1920 (see Section 1),
described in great detail the frontier rectification which Persia desired from
Mendeli northwards. It quoted certain statements made by the British and
Russian commissioners on the 26th May and the 14th October, 1914, regarding
the pasturage of the Singali tribe and certain lands to the east of Baghche
respectively, to show that the Protocol of 1913 was not always just to Persia, and
went on to claim the whole of the Zohab district on architectural, if on no other,
grounds :—
La Perse reclame la totalite du district de Zohab, foncierement persan.
Ees mines de Hook-Kourek, situees a Touest de la frontiere persane actuelle,
et ayant le meme caractere que celles de Kasri-Chirine, attestent 1’unite de
cette region meme a 1 epoque de 1’Empire des Sassanides.”
It then desciibed the rectification which Persia desired as follows :—
,, T o .^ ^ yicte ue ujeoei-ixonnerig (a la nauteur ae menuen;
jusqu a la riviere d Abi-Naft en conformite avec le trace de la commission
de delimitation de 1914 (bornes Nos. 41-46).
Ayant atteint ladite riviere, la frontiere monte sur le contrefort sud
u mont Louti-Baghtche, qui sert de partage des eaux entre le bassin de la
pai le superleure de 1^ Abi-Naft et les eaux se deversant du cote de
am-Masr. La frontiere arrive au sommet de Baghtche et de la suit en
escendant son contrefort nord, qui constitue le partage des eaux a 1’ouest
e a yana pour aboutir a la riviere d’Alvand a 1’ouest de la localite dite
TengunChefi-Khan pres de la colline de Hattamil.
lie la, elle coupe la riviere et se dirige sur Mala-Merdazema et suit
ntaemes de TCoterph A rrU HorvU o: ^ nn
^ • Tv T,. J Ltw,n uquw ae ia riviere birvan, la tronn
Tabizan US< ^ a ^ m t erse etion de la ligne droite unissant Meydai
1 10 m thence onwaids the line took a course leaving a large tract of countiy
eisia un i it lejomed the existing frontier at boundary pillar No. 201.