Page 143 - Records of Bahrain (6)_Neat

Use of Sittra pier by Petroleum Concessions Ltd 131

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T«l«i'ixu; BENTLEY'S SECOND PHRASE
mCONCISS. BAHREIN
PETROLEUM CONCESSIONS LIMITED.

BAHREIN,
PERSIAN GULF.
PCN. 5/81316 CONFIDENTIAL 6th December, 1949.

H.D.M's Political Agent,
Bahrain.
}A,
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Dear Sir, ...L151!
On Sunday the 4th of December 1949 I had an interview v/ith
His Highness the Ruler of Bahrain v/ith the object of taking leave
before proceeding to London on a short visit. After the exchange
of the usual customary compliments, His Highness once again
reopened the question of Zubara and stated that lie had now v/aited
for years and still his problem was unsettled but that time was
getting too short. He added that in the next few days he was
expecting a visit from Col. Galloway, and other representatives of
concerns who wished to obtain from him facilities and in exchange
for which thoy were prepared to pay him very large sums and had
also promised to solve the Zubara question for him. His Highness
added that, as time was now short and that it v/as his intention to
obtain a settlement of the Zubara question one way or the other,
unless I could personally solve this immediately he would be
obliged to take certain steps which he regretted having to do in
order to force us to help him in solving his problem. The steps
he proposed to take, he hinted, would come into force in the
near future. The following day, Monday 5th of December, I received
a letter from the Adviser to the Government of Bahrain, No.421-38
of 1369 dated the previous day, which was the day I had my inter­
view with His Highness in the late afternoon, a copy of which
I enclose.

If this Company is to be prohibited the use of its private
pier at Sitra a3 a means of passenger and cargo traffic between 1 i
Qatar and Bahrain, it will obviously considerably affect our opera­
tions, as the alternatives suggested, i.e., Moharraq and Manama,
involve far greater distance and are also controlled by tide and
weather v/hich v/ould considerably hamper the present daily service
each way oetv/een Balirain and Qatar which we now operato.

If the facility we have enjoyed for the last 10 years is
suddenly withdrawn on the 20th.of December 3949 under His High­
ness1 s order, a wrong interpretation will be put on it and the
prestige of the Company will suffer accordingly. This Company

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