File 57/1928 Pt 4 'Iraq-Nejd Relations: Mission of Sir G. Clayton to Ibn Saud.' [‎87r] (171/1364)

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not accept this invitation, nor did he give the assurances for which
His Britannic Majesty’s Government had asked, but merely reiterated
his previous protests. Meanwhile, rumours became current that all
the Akhwan were joining with the Mutair in a regular jihad (Holy
VV'ar) against the non-Akhwan States of ‘Iraq, Trans-Jordan and
Koweit, and that King Ibn SaTid (himself powerless to prevent it)
had been forced to associate himself with this movement. Later
information, however, threw doubt upon these rumours, and
indicated that King Ibn Sa‘ud had dissociated himself from the
movement. Subsequently, it became apparent that he had regained
control.
7. Throughout his letters King Ibn Sa‘ud maintained that the
establishment of the Busaiyah post or any similar police posts was a
contravention of the Uqair Protocol and he continued to press for
its abolition as providing the only solution of the present trouble.
His Britannic Majesty’s Government for their part were not
prepared to admit that the ‘Iraq Government in constructing such
posts acted otherwise than in full accord with their treaty obliga
tions ; nor were they prepared to agree to the demolition of such
posts. It seemed to them, however, that a full and frank discussion
of the question in dispute might go far to convince King Ibn SaTid
that his protests against the establishment of the Busaiyah post were
unjustified, and that in this matter the action of the ‘Iraq Govern
ment had been entirely correct. To this end it was decided that
Sir Gilbert Clayton should proceed to Jeddah to enter into personal
discussion with King Ibn Sa'ud and to furnish him with such
explanations and assurances as, it was hoped, would set at rest any
genuine doubts which he might feel both as to the intentions of the
‘Iraq Government in constructing such posts and as to the use to
which it was proposed that they should be put.
8. The main point at issue now resolved itself into a difference of
interpretation of the words “ in the vicinity of the border ” (Arabic :
ala atraf al hudud) in Article 3 of the Uqair Protocol. It appeared
that King Ibn Sa'ud had read into these words far more than they
were intended to convey by His Britannic Majesty’s Government.
In his view the object of the Article was to prevent the erection of
fortified posts at any of the wells situated in the open desert on
either side of the frontier and at any distance from the frontier, and
he contended that had not this been the intention he would have
refused to ratify the Convention of Muhammara, to which the
Protocol of Uqair was appended. Unfortunately, no detailed record
of the conversations leading up to the signature of this Protocol exists.
But Sir Percy Cox, the British Plenipotentiary, who represented the
interests both of His Britannic Majesty’s Government and the ‘Iraq
Government at the discussions, has categorically affirmed that,
on his part at least, the words in dispute were not intended to bear