Coll 17/15(1) 'Perso-Iraq Relations: Persia-Iraq frontier; Persia's claim in the Shatt-el-Arab' [‎221r] (452/961)

[Communicated to the Council and
the Members of the League.]
ffr(
REQUEST BY THE IRAQI GOVERNMENT
under Article 11, Paragraph 2, of the Covenant.
Note by the Secretary-General :
The Secretary-General has the honour to circulate to the Council and the Members
if the League a communication from the Iraqi Government, dated November 29th, 1934.
Baghdad, November 29th, 1934.
I have the honour to inform you that for some time past, and particularly during the
last two years, great anxiety has been caused to the Royal Iraqi Government by persistent
iisregard and violation of the Iraqi-Persian boundary by official agents of the Imperial
Persian Government.
2. The boundary between Iraq and Persia is derived from the Treaty of Erzerum
of 1847 (Appendix I), and a Protocol signed at Constantinople on November 4th, 1913,
by the Grand Vizier and Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Ottoman Empire and the
Ambassador of Persia, on behalf of the two parties, and by the Ambassadors of Great Britain
and Russia, on behalf of their respective countries in the capacity of mediating Powers.
Section V of this Protocol specifically laid down that, as soon as any part of the frontier
had been delimited by the Delimitation Commission to be set up in accordance with
Section II, that part should be held to have been finally fixed and should not be open
either to subsequent examination or to revision. The delimitation of the frontier on the
ground provided for in Section II was carried out by this Commission in the year 1914.
A print containing the Protocol of 1913 and the proceedings of the Commission of 1914 is
attached as Appendix II.
3. In spite of the legal position as outlined above, the Imperial Persian Government
has consistently disregarded and violated the boundary so established. A summary of
some of the more flagrant acts of aggression, with copies of the relevant correspondence,
is attached (Appendix III). As will be seen from this correspondence, the Imperial Persian
Government attempts to justify its conduct on the ground that it does not recognise the
validity of the boundary and does not consider itself bound by the arrangements by which
it was determined. This view the Royal Iraqi Government is unable to accept.
4. The Royal Iraqi Government has hitherto been loth to formulate publicly a
complaint against a neighbour and fellow-Member of the League of Nations. It has left
nothing undone in its endeavour to settle the matters at issue direct with the Imperial
Persian Government. As will be seen from the correspondence, the numerous conciliatory
proposals which it has made, whether for the investigation by joint commissions of particular
problems affected by the precise alignment of the boundary, or for the general examination
of all causes of inconvenience to either side arising from that alignment, with a view to
eliminating the inconveniences by appropriate administrative arrangements, have been
consistently rejected or ignored.
5. The continuance of the state of affairs described in the preceding paragraphs
cannot fail to disturb the good understanding between Iraq and Persia which Iraq so
earnestly desires. With great regret, therefore, the Royal Iraqi Government sees no
alternative but to bring the circumstances to the attention of the Council under Article 11,
paragraph 2, of the Covenant.
6. I have the honour, accordingly, to request that you will be so good as to cause
this matter to be placed on the agenda for consideration by the Council at its next session.
7. A copy of this letter with the appendices is being communicated simultaneously
to the Imperial Persian Government. , rv . 7 . ^
(Signed) Nouey Said,
Minister for Foreign Affairs.
Series of Lea gue of Nations Publications
VII. POLITICAL
1934. VII. 16.