Page 363 - Truncal States to UAE_Neat

Chapter Nine

predicted by the opposition in Britain and by many people who knew
the area well.
A fairly straightforward problem was the so-called “defence
agreement”, which was a clause in the British-Kuwaiti Agreement of
19 June 1961 promising British assistance in the event of Kuwait
being attacked. By May 1968 an exchange of letters resulted in the
removal of this defence clause from the agreement, with effect from
13 May 1971.5

The Bahrain predicament
The biggest single problem which had to be resolved to ensure
orderly withdrawal was that of sovereignty over Bahrain.6 As soon
as the British withdrawal was announced Iran reiterated its claim to
the islands of Bahrain, which it called a “crown jewel" and counted
as one of its provinces although it did not exercise sovereignty over it.
However, the common concern for peace and stability in the area
prevailed, and the Iranian Government ventured on a course which
led eventually to total Bahraini autonomy. Bahrain has always been
opposed to a formal plebiscite, but eventually agreed to the British
proposal to ascertain public opinion on the island under the
auspices of the United Nations.7 The Secretary-General sent as his
personal representative Mr Vittorio Winspeare Guicciardi, Director-
General of the UN Office in Geneva, who arrived on 30 March 1970
and stayed until 18 April. He conferred with organisations, societies,
institutions and private citizens. An office was set up where anybody
could meet him and discuss the issue. Mr Guicciardi reported to the
UN on 2 May: “My conclusions have convinced me that the over­
whelming majority of the people of Bahrain wish to gain recognition
of their identity in a fully independent and sovereign state free to
decide for itself its relations with other states.”8 This report was
endorsed by the UN Security Council on 11 May. The UN endorse­
ment of Bahrain’s independence was ratified by the Iranian Majlis on
14 May by 186 votes to 4, and unanimously by the Iranian Senate on
18 May. Thus Iran renounced her claim to sovereignty over Bahrain.
Considering the fact that the Iranian State contains within its
borders a fair number of ethnic and religious minority areas, it was a
bold and statesmanlike decision initially to agree to Mr Guicciardi’s
mission and subsequently to renounce the claim without further ado.
It demonstrates that the Iranian Government was at that time well
of the possible dangers in British withdrawal, and while
aware
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