ملف ١١٦٦/ ١٩٢٥ "الجزيرة العربية: نجد؛ المفاوضات مع ابن سعود بشأن مسألة العراق-نجد وحدود شرق الأردن؛ بعثة السير ج. كلايتون؛ اتفاقية بحرة، الثاني من نوفمبر ١٩٢٥" [و‎‎١‎٠‎٧] (٧٦٩/٢٢٠)

correspondence with me and emphasizing the importance attached
by His Majesty’s Government to the early establishment of
this tribunal*
4. I have considered in the case, at all events, of the
xirst conference, which would have to decide a mass of claims
whether it would not be desirable to appoint a president
from some otherfEuropean nation* it appears to me, hoY/ever,
that such an appointment would involve both Ibn Sa’ud and
the ’Iraq Government in considerable unnecessary expense,
and I am inclined to suggest, subject of course to the con
currence of the Honourable the Resident in the Persian Gulf,
that the conference shall be presided over by Major More,
the Political Agent at Kuwait.
5. In regard to the suggestion that disputes which may
arise should be settled by direct negotiation, I would point
out that such direct negotiation has already been going on
for some months between officials of the ’Iraq Government
and Hajd officials. The suggestion that local officials on
either side should correspond with each other with a view to
the settlement of minor troubles as and when they arise, was
made to Ibn Sa’ud by Mr. Bourdillon on the 23rd of April,
1926, and was accepted by Ibn Sa’ud (vide telegram No.46 dated
the 1st May, 1926, from His Majesty’s Acting Consul, Jeddah,
to the Foreign Office). This direct correspondence betv/een
9
local officials has been working satisfactorily and a number
of minor raids have been disposed of. It would, however,
be impossible to deal in this way with the mass of claims
that existed prior to the ratification of the Hahra Agreement,
nor do I conceive it to be the desire of Ibn Sa'ud that they
should be so dealt with.
6. I am sending a copy of this despatch to the Hon’bio t
Resident in the Persian Gulf and His Majesty’s Consul and Agent
at Jeddah. X have, etc.,
3d. H.Dobbs,
High Commissioner for ’Iraq.
The Right Hon’ble
L.C.M.S.Amery, P.C., M.P. ,
Secretary of State for the Colonies,
Downing Street, London, S.W.l.