Coll 25/18 'Orders-in-Council: Qatar: Jurisdiction over foreigners in Qatar' [‎187r] (373/635)

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argued that "regular service" is not exclusively restricted
to domestic service* In fadt as the phrase at present stands
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it could be extended to service of any form whatsoever, provi^
ded only that it is regular. Thus in Bahrain the position
which exists, and has apparently always existed, is that Bah
rain subjects are within the jurisdiction of the dhaikh. I
surest that the same might v/ell apply in star, even allowing
for* the fact that ’ ,atar subject" includes non-British Moslem
persons. 3o far as the latter are concerned I need only remark
that there is no very obvious reason why Petroleum Concessions
Limited, for example, should employ any non-British I oslem
persona in "regular service". Even if service is held to be
synonymous with employment, so far as the operations of the
Company are concerned t disputes between the Company and its
employees automatically come before the Joint Court, under
the provisions ] art V of the draft :atar Order-in-Council.
6. Briefly therefore the position is a« follows. The
.Shaikh of Qatar agrees to the substitution of l oelem Person
(non-British) in place of ‘national of any other Poslem State",
un the other two points I see no prospect of obtaining his ag
reement without recourse to extreme pressure. It is for con-
31 era tion whether these two points are of sufficient import
ance to warrant extreme action, particularly since this must
have repercussions on the relations between the Shaikh of Ta
tar and the Oil Company, and since, even if that action is
successful, the leoling v/ill I fear undoubtedly remain in • a-
tar that the agreement made by the Political Resident A senior ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul General) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Residency. in the
J Q 2 'sian Gulf with the Ghaikh has been dishonoured by us.
3d/- H. Weightman.
Political Agent A mid-ranking political representative (equivalent to a Consul) from the diplomatic corps of the Government of India or one of its subordinate provincial governments, in charge of a Political Agency. , Bahrain.