مجموعة ٦/ ٢١(٢) "المملكة العربية السعودية: العلاقات مع حكومة بريطانيا: المفوضية السعودية في لندن والوزير البريطاني في جدة. تمديد معاهدة جدة." [ظ‎‎٣‎٢‎٦] (٧٦١/٦٥٢)

FUAD BEY HAMZA explained that he had not received any recent
instructions from his Government about this question, and so was not in a
position to do more than take note of what Mr. Rendel said. He suggested, how
ever, that it might be useful if he were to see the draft notes before they were
formally communicated to the Saudi Government for their concurrence.
After further discussion it was agreed that as soon as the draft notes ha^
been approved by His Majesty’s Government and the Government of Bahrein,
copies of them should be sent to Sheikh Hafiz Wahba for onward transmission
to Fuad Bey Hamza, wherever he might then be in the course of his leave. At the
same time ithe draft notes would be sent to His Majesty’s Charge d’Affaires at
Jedda, who would be instructed to communicate them formally to the Saudi
Government for their concurrence, as soon as Fuad Bey Hamza had expressed his
personal agreement with the terms employed in the drafts.
III.
Mr. RENDEL next referred to the debt due from the Saudi Government to
His Majesty’s Government and the Government of India. He explained that
His Majesty’s Government had no desire to embarrass the Saudi Government by
raising this matter; but their position, too, was not easy since they were liable
to criticism in Parliament and by the Public Accounts Committee of the House
of Commons if steps were not taken with a view to liquidating the debt. His
Majesty’s Government had learned with much satisfaction of the repayment by
the Saudi Government last May of their half share of the cost of the enquiry
conducted by Mr. Macdonell in 1931 into the rival claims arising out of tribal
raids between Transjordan and the Hejaz and Nejd, and of their payment of
10 per cent, of the capital of the larger debt for £31,437 4.?. 6^. due on account of
arms and ammunition supplied to King Ibn Saud in 1929. His Majesty’s
Government would now be grateful to learn the intentions of the Saudi Govern
ment in regard to the repayment of the remainder of the arms debt, and he was
authorised to inform Fuad Bey that if satisfactory arrangements could be made
for the repayment of the outstanding 90 per cent, of the capital of the debt within
a reasonable period, His Majesty’s Government would be prepared to take a
sympathetic view of the question of interest on the debt.
FUAD BEY HAMZA replied that he would lodk into the matter with a
view to producing a statement of the intentions of his Government about the
repayment of the remainder of the debt.
IV.
The next matter to be touched upon was the future of the Treaty of Jedda,
and the connected questions of slavery and the traffic in arms.
Mr. RENDEL said that he was now authorised to inform Fuad Bey that
His Majesty’s Government would be prepared in principle to extend the validity
of the Treaty of Jedda for a further seven years by means of an exchange of notes,
on the lines already suggested by Fuad Bey, provided that a satisfactory settle
ment were reached on the question of slavery and the other outstanding points of
less importance.
SIR A. RYAN pointed out that in his draft exchange of notes Fuad Bey
had suggested prolonging the treaty for ten years.
Mr. RENDEL replied that he had mentioned seven years because that was
the period of validity of the original treaty. He thought that neither His
Majesty’s Government nor the Saudi Government were ready just yet to conclude
a new treaty, and, in the circumstances, he agreed with Fuad Bey that there
would be advantage in stabilising relations between their two countries by
prolonging the existing treaty for a definite term of years. As a new treaty would
probably be a subject for negotiation before very long, he thought seven years
might be a sufficient period. At the same time, there would, of course, be no
question of the treaty automatically expiring at the end of the seven years, as
it would continue to run on indefinitely, as at present, subject to denunciation
at six months’ notice.