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' [‎165r] (336/769)

* 60745/22 ; not printed.
1 Not printed.
should approximately follow the line indicated in red on the attached
map. You will observe that Ibn Sa‘ud desires the inclusion in Nejd
of a tract of territory to the south of Kaf comprising the four
streams running eastward into the Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Sirhan, viz., the Wadis
Bayir, Ciharra, Hasa and Hidrij. His Majesty’s Government are
not aware to what extent this area is essential as a grazing ground
to the tribes depending on Trans-Jordan and Syria, or whether it
contains a settled population. Enquiries are being made of the High
Commissioner for Palestine and steps will be taken to furnish you
with precise information on these points.
From the telegram from Sir P. Cox, dated the 6th of December,
1922, ¥ of which a copy is enclosed, it will be seen that at that time
Ibn Sa'ud would have accepted a frontier roughly following the
western edge of the Wadi A seasonal or intermittent watercourse, or the valley in which it flows. Sirhan and leaving the greater part of
this area within Trans-Jordan.
You should point this out to Ibn Sa'ud if he advances a claim to
any territory in this region additional to that claimed in 1922 and
should endeavour to resist such a claim on the ground that this
territory was clearly not regarded as essential to Nejd in 1922 and
His Majesty’s Government are aware of no valid reason why it should
be so regarded now. If, however, Ibn Sa'ud presses his claim to
this tract of territory very strongly and it appears that unless he
receives some measure of satisfaction the negotiations will break down,
His Majesty’s Government would, as at present advised, be prepared
to agree to some arrangement whereby this area would be consti
tuted a neutral enclave An area of land belonging to one country and entirely surrounded by land of just one other country. (on the analogy of the section of neutral
territory on the southern frontier between Nejd and ‘Iraq), which the
tribes of both parties would be free to enter for grazing purposes.
His Majesty’s Government are content to leave it to your discretion,
in the light of the information which you will receive from the High
Commissioner for Palestine, to decide whether such an arrangement
would be feasible and, if so, to work out details in agreement with
Ibn Sa‘ud.
6. The question of the southern frontier of Trans-Jordan is one of
some delicacy owing to the unstable conditions obtaining in the
northern districts of the Hejaz, which, as pointed out above, do not
at present appear to be within the effective occupation or control of
either Ibn Sa‘ud or King Ali. Consequently, any attempt to nego
tiate a frontier with one party would be liable to give offence to the
other. In all the circumstances, and in view of the fact that Ibn
Sa‘ud has already been informed of the southern limits of Trans
jordan territory, His Majesty’s Government consider that it would
be advisable in your conversations with him to treat this matter as a
chose jugte, merely informing him, if he should raise the point, that
the southern frontier of Trans-Jordan starts from the intersection of
meridian 38° and parallel 29 0 35 / , crosses the Hejaz Railway south of
Mudawwara, and joins the Gulf of Akaba at a point south of that
town.
7. With regard to the second main question with which you will
be concerned, that of the prevention of trans-frontier raiding
between ‘Iraq and Nejd tribes, I am to invite your attention to the
records! of the later meetings of the Koweit Conference, and to the
accompanying copy of a confidential despatch dated the 12th of