File 1166/1925 'Arabia: Nejd; negotiations with Ibn Saud regarding Iraq-Nejd question and Trans-Jordan boundary; Sir G Clayton's mission; Bahra agreement, 2nd November, 1925' [‎143v] (293/769)

consideration. I added that His Highness must realise that I had
to justify everything I did, and when I had finally decided on certain
matters I could not go back on them. _ I must, therefore ensure
that the Agreement contained the principles which I felt bound to
maintain. That being fully understood, I was prepared to follow
the procedure I had suggested and then to produce the final draft.
Ibn Sa'ud, with some heat, replied that there were things in that
Agreement which had no place there. For instance, tribes were to
be allowed to wander about his territory. It should be remembered
that the Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Sirhan was his property, and that he had made many
concessions to Great Britain. He had Faisal on one side and
Abdullah on the other, both new creations fencing him in on either
side and both hostile towards him. When he thought of the in
justices to himself he was surprised at the moderation of his demands.
He would prefer to have his throat cut with a sword rather than
have any one infringe upon his rights in his own dominions.
I assured him that there was no intention of infringing upon his
rights or his independence, but I thought there was nothing to be
gained by a detailed discussion.
Ibn Sa‘ud pressed for the consideration of his draft proposals and
felt certain that nothing would be found harmful in them to the
interests of Great Britain, and it was eventually arranged that
Sheikhs Hafiz and Yusuf should go through the two drafts with Mr.
Antonius, comparing article with article with a view to determining
the precise difference between them and, if possible, pi educing n
final draft.
Ibn Sa‘ud said that where there was any divergence in words there
was none in actual meaning. He wished to say that what had
pleased him very much was that everything in my draft proposals
• was just and fair. He was sure that I would find nothing but fair
ness and what was just in his own proposals.
The meeting then adjourned.
Fourteenth Meeting.
The fourteenth meeting w T as held on Thursday afternoon, the 29th
October, with the usual attendance.
I opened proceedings by stating that I had adopted the procedure
agreed upon at our last meeting, and lengthy conversations ha
taken place between Sheikhs Hafiz and Yusuf and Mr. Antonius.
thought we had now arrived at agreement, and I understood that
His Highness had been acquainted with the result of those discus
sions and that he also w^as in agreement with the terms now
arranged. Some of the questions had been referred to me, and I ha
as far as possible met His Highness’ wishes in regard to them,
hoped therefore that the preparation of the final Agreement eoul
now be proceeded with.
There was a point I wished to mention in regard to Kasr Aziaq.
His Highness asked that fortifications should be forbidden there in
the same way as Kaf. I had been unable to agree, as that was a
question which affected Imperial interests. Azraq lay on the air and
car routes to Baghdad, and in consequence it might be necessary at