ملف رقم ٢١٨٢ لسنة ١٩١٣، الجزء ٢ "الخليج الفارسي، الوضع في قطر، السياسة تجاه ابن سعود" [و‎‎٢‎٦‎٥] (٥٤٣/٥٣١)

have direct communication with him and his local officers for the settlement o
various commercial, pearling and other disputes, which constantly arise, not to
mention the apprehension of fugitive offenders and absconding divers.
British Government, therefore, would in all probability have to take P
question of the prejudice to their rights and interests which the existence of any
clause excluding their representatives and subjects would entail.
7 In the discussion which followed Bin Saud said he would be glad to co-ope- |
rate with the British Government in the suppression of piracy and the illicit arms
traffic and in the maintenance of the Maritime Truce, and would also agree not j
to interfere in tire politics of Katar and the Trucial Coast and " “^ub-,
jects and representatives in his territory provided that the British Government
would aive him the assurance mentioned above. In fact, he went further than j
this and said lie would be willing to consult the British Government m aU mipor- ,
tant matters if he received these assurances. We again repeated to him h |
it was quite impossible to give him any such assurance.
8 In the course of his remarks Bin Saud pointed out that, though he claimed
the Trucial Oman and Katar as part of his ancestral dominions and could make his
foil- there he was quite willing to meet the wishes of Government in regard to
C HetntedSonly reafon which restrained him from overrunnmg
Katar and possibly Trucial Oman, after he had occupied Hasa and Katif was
desirc not to alienate the sympathy of the British Government.
Q Bin Saud pressed the urgency of making a definite reply to the Turkis p o
1 «' a t an earlv date and said that correspondence had already been going on
posals at an y ,. u „’ us t 1913 ) but that he had delayed doing so m the hope that
His Majesty s ^ern mere ^ o{ the meetmg would draw
working ,„n4».on. to «»lo
meeting was nece ® sa ^ , • igin2 between his officers on the coast and local
local disputes and questions a g the necegs of such a meeting ia reC o g -
Bntishofficials. tact -' ve ^ f ge p tem ber (Shawal) last His Majesty s Gov-
nised a f h s n ° d ^medIhe Turkish Government (through Hakki Pasha) that as he
ernment had mtormea rue p • qri n u if the British Government
(Bin Baud) had reached the shore ^ d for the protection of th( dr own inter-
would be With him, while at the same time
maintaining a striffily neutral attitude and desiring a speedy reconciliation be ween
him and th Bin Saud reverted to the concluding portion of the previous
11 . Second day.—&in fcaua reveiteu ® 0 bi e ct of our visit was
day’s discussion, and we fur bling the British Government to find a
to ascertain his views with the object of ena b ^ ^ furt b er po i n ted out
m0 dus "to^ommetokuX between Bahrain and the coast
to him that the comme j ^b a 4- British subjects who had pre-
«< tta H*.. “V .h. P»Mr.l ig.* Bahrain, to
viously been m Katif had^ ^ refus P ed to agree) pend ing the regulansation of
allow them to return, , • j probable attitude towards them. Bin
Bin Baud’s position or a 0 bj e ction to Bntish subjects coming to Katif proyid-
Saud then said that he had n 3 received adequate investigation before
cd that their claims a §y ns t'° bisnroviso be would afford them every protection,
settlement, and that, subje p . tlla ’t British officials might perhaps uphold
He appeared to be ""Snl Respective of the correctness of such claims.
We rCuSrof this point, and’he then said he would gladly admit and pro
tect British traders^ ques tion of replying to the overtures of the
12 . Bin Saud then be realised that the entire exclusion of foreign
SpriseS—f U the Hasa coast was impossible at the present time,