"ملف ٨٢/٢٧ III (F 84) شركة النفط الأنجلو فارسية أ.ب.و.ك: نفط قطر" [ظ‎‎٧‎٢] (٦٣٨/١٤٢)

p.z. 299/34.
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Kills Il(
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The Anglo-Turkish Convention of July 1913.
5. Discussion over the years 1911-13 between the Turkish Government and
His Majesty's Government on the various matters in dispute between them in ^
Persian Gulf area culminated in the latter year in the signature of two Conventi
defining inter alia the eastern limits of Turkish, authority in Arabia. Fhe Conventii
of 29th July 1913, which defined the eastern boundary of Nejd, is alone relevant for
the present purpose. Under that Convention, which, though reference is made to
in the ratified Anglo-Turkish Convention of 9th March 1914, was never itself ratified}* 1
the eastern boundary of the Turkish Sanjaq of Nejd was defined by a blue line (j
the map running due south from the head of tho bay opposite Zaqnuniyeh IslandP^ 11
the Persian Gulf to the 20th parallel of latitude in the Central Arabian Desert. Tli
text of the relevant article is given in section 11 of the Appendix attached to this Note
Its wording (" une ligne . . . separera le Nedjd de la presqu'ile d'El Katr.
limites du Nedjd sont indiquees par une ligne bleue . . . ") would justify
contention that the blue line was at once the eastern frontier of Nejd and the westen
frontier of Qatar. But there are definite objections to adopting this view. In tt
first place, there is nothing to show that this was, in fact, the intention of Hi
Majesty's Government at the time when the Convention was concluded, or that the?
had any object beyond limiting the eastern boundary of the Turkish possessions ii
this area. Secondly, there is no evidence of any claim to suzerainty by Qatar so
to the west or so far to the south. Thirdly, the Resident's telegram of 11th Januaryi
1934, T. 19, emphasises the absence of control by the Sheikh of Qatar over the interioi
of his State (and a fortiori over regions so remote from Dohah as are now unde!
consideration). Fourthly (though this by itself is probably not of serious importance
the position vis-a-vis Ibn Sand is to some extent compromised, as explained below
at any rate as regards the Barr-al-Qarah, by the line fixed by Sir Percy Cox in 1922,
Fifthly, it is arguable that even in a formal document such as the 1913 Convention,
the fact that the blue line is spoken of separating Nejd from the Qatar Peninsula,
need not be regarded as determining the boundary of Qatar. The Qatar Peninspla
was the closest prominent geographical feature and the nearest adjoining Arab polite
entity on the mainland, and a reference to it for descriptive purposes was not unnatural,
linally, there is much to be said for giving no avoidable extensions to the boundaries
of Qatar, even if the consequence is that we have to deal with an area of indeterminate!
ownership between those boundaries and the blue line.
Line indicated in 1922 by Sir P. Cox to Ibn Saud and Major Holmes as the
Limit of any Oil Concession in respect of Hasa.
6. Gne moie incident of importance should be recorded before coming to
atest evidence as to the view held by the Sheikh of Qatar as to his southern
boundary. The incident is^ that referred to in Colonel Dickson's letter of 4tli Julj
d r ^ i 0 V) , 16 Political Resident, copies of which w'ere received under
Political Resident s express letter of 18th December 1933, No. 1934 S., when
tr 0 v ^ W f 8 High Commissioner for Iraq, in a discussion at Oqairinl
r^ AT H ( ' then . Sul ' an of Nejd, and Major Holmes, warned both the Snta
and Major Holmes that the Sultan could grant ho concession, and Major Holma
receive none from him m respect of the Principality of Qatar, and drew on am?
11 , ul , r f ln ^ rom J au 'Gd -I )ukhan to Dohat-as -Salwa, which, he indicated,®^
nf TW q 6 , eaSte , r . u boundary of any concession granted by Ibn Saud in respet'
Penbtnia S ^ f , e ^ from the ma P- excludes the whole
of the Ano -lo T 1 v ° C ! d ® ntall y a ™bstantial area lying to the west of the blue lm
bLe lii of tW A n 1 T V t Dt l 0 11 ak0 incl " des Hasa a ° al -o a ^ the east of %
it constituted n rlpf"'? o n yention. It should, however, be noted thatwhlt
boundary of l l' wfi i?'- 6 111 1 1011 of the High Commissioner's view as to the easte"
far as Qatar mio-bf 110 wa ^ s P eci fi c ally defined the boundaries of Qatar save in
regarded as havmcr K 6 re ° ar< ; , as marching with Hasa and Nejd, or migtl
19! 3 Convention nftV, 66 ? "''" i* a western frontier bounded by the blue line of I
J-yid Convention at the time when that Convention was concluded.
H«n„.947S. lOgLJl!® re Ported in Bushire Memorandum No. 947 S. of 20th DecenJ*
Of 20th Dec. \f£ t t 0 . t av t t : I' 6 " 11 m f de by Sir P. Cox that Ibn Saud had agreed with Sir P. Co^
^ ■ - ■ ^fetuth f om the end'^'f t? 6 and Qatar should folkw a line runni. g
shown on FrSer Hun e.^ ^ bay . SOl i tl1 . 0f BallreIn Island aild ® ast of Mabak ..
snown onlraser-liuntei s map, stands by itself, as such an arrangement was
p.z. 180/34.
Bushire
1922
p.z. 464/
33.
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