مجموعة ٦ / ٦٧ (٦) "حدود جنوب شرق الجزيرة العربية وقطر: امتيازات النفط في الساحل المتصالح" [و‎‎١‎٨‎٠] (٤٠٢/٣٦٦)

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years previously established permanent settlements to the east of the northern
end of the Blue line, whereas none of the Trueial Sheikhdoms on the coast of the
Bersian bruit noi the Sultan of Muscat could possibly claim to exercise authority
as far west as the Blue line.
8 . It was consequently decided to abandon a rigid adherence to the Anglo- e. 5858/2427/
Ottoman frontier, and the Saudi Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs,( 3 ) Fuad 25(1934).
Bey Hamza, was informed during his visit to London in September 1934 that
His Majesty’s Government were prepared not to rest on the purely legal position,
but to examine Ibn Sand’s claims in a generous spirit as part of a comprehensive
settlement of all outstanding questions. It was not possible, however, to proceed
further with the matter during these discussions, since Fuad Bey was unable to
make any definite statement of Ibn Saud’s desiderata. In the meantime, His
Majesty’s Government continued to seek a possible basis for a settlement, free
from danger to their own interests or to those of their dependants in eastern
Arabia, which might be proposed to the Saudi Arabian Government.
9. As a result of this further examination, instructions were sent to
Sir A. Ryan, His Majesty’s Minister at Jedda, early in 1935 (Foreign Office E 318/318/
telegram No. 8 of the 16th January, 1935) to pursue the following four stages in 25(1935).
negotiation with the Saudi Arabian Government :—
(i) To obtain a clear statement of Ibn Saud’s territorial claims to the east
and south-east of the Blue and Violet lines.
(ii) If these were not unreasonably vague or extensive, to offer, as part of
a general settlement, to concede to Ibn Saud in full sovereignty a
relatively small strip of territory immediately to the east of the Blue
line. This strip would be bounded by a new line running from the
head of the Dohat-as-Salwa to a point about five miles north-east of
Sikak and from that point, in a direct line which would leave
Banaiyan about five miles to the east, as far as the intersection of this
line with parallel 20° North. The proposed boundary would run from
this point of intersection in a south-westerly direction to a point, to
be agreed later, on the Violet line. (The new line involved in this
offer came to be called the “ Green line.”)
(iii) If this offer failed to satisfy Ibn Saud, to propose the creation of a
“ desert zone ” lying roughly between meridians 51 and 55 East,
its northern and southern boundaries being drawn so as to leave a
wide margin of territory in the hinterland to the Sheikhdoms of Qatar
and Abu Dhabi (on the Trucial Coast) and the Aden Protectorate.
This zone was to be subject for a fixed period of years to a special
regime, under which neither Ibn Saud nor any other ruler would
exercise any rights of territorial sovereignty (such as granting con
cessions) ; but Ibn Saud would retain personal sovereignty over any
of his tribes sojourning there.
(iv) In that last resort, Ibn Saud might be granted the western part of the
desert zone (i.e., west of meridian a2 Last) in full soveieignty.
( 3 ) The Minister for Foreign Affairs was and still is the Amir haisal, one of Ibn baud s sons,,
but at that time his deputy did all the work.
[22284—1]
b 2