Page 443 - Records of Bahrain (6)_Neat

Effect of Zubarah dispute on relations, 1949 431

Confidential Dritish Agency,
Doha,
11/14/50. 5th March 1950.
I enclose MhuiUh Ali*s reply bo your lobtor C/Q«14 of
£3rd February.

£, You vrill see th$t ho has now "withdrawn the two r.;on from
tho fort and will do as tho Political Kesldont asked". This means
that in accordanco with a suggestion which the Political Iceaidont
raado during hi.s visit, at a time /.hen the ohoilii was being more
than \isually obdurate, ho will leave tho door of tho fort locked^
and tho two'watchmen will live in a tent nearby. In your conver­
sation with the Sheikh on 30th January, 1 recall that you several
times urged that he should l.oavo the fort open, but in subsequent
correspondence, Including the lector which you wrote to Shaikh
Salman on 1st February, and the record of your conversation with
him on £2 nd., the reference is only to its being left empty,
Tho fort id now empty, and I hope that Sheikh Salman will feel
that )iis requirements have been mot, 1 think it probable tnat
as time passes, the question of the fort will recede into tho
background, arid 1 certainly i'eoi that vo have now pushed Sheikh
Ali as far as v.o cun at the present time, having regard to the
attitude of his father and relatives, for which some allowance
has to be made.
3, When lie handed me the letter, the Sheikh asked me to­
tal.^ up again tho question of oho vegetables and of permission
for ton of his subjects, whom ho would ruaiiu, to bo. allowed to
co.'io and go bcnvwuon Qatar and Bahrain v/ithoub passports,
I as lend what importance no attached to this second point, us
Uiorc vasro in fact no visa regulations in force, which meant
that any Qatari to whom lie cliuso to give a passport was free
ah present to ccuuo and go as ho pleased, Jlo said that lie was
allowing 200 of Snellen SoLmavi1 a ,1'oJlov.ers to corao avid go v/ith­
oub for;ialitics, and that all he was asking ms a concession
for ton people. I rotated that 1 could not see what difference
it would make, and that 1 sup; X) sod that lie was not aoritomplating
asking for ou:»to..is fTs. new iso for lit n:.. He assured i.g@ that he
was not, - mc.oly that Uwy should not have to carry passports,
lie insisted th.at I should wrlLs to you about it, and I under­
took to do so.

4, I can only conjecture that it is some sort of a face-
saver to which lie wishes to be able to point if he has to defend
his actions. His attitude seems to bo that the concession about
transit dues is not a very good talking point, as everyone knows
tliat most of Qatar's imports via Bahrain have in the past avoided
paying duty at the fu&l rate by the simple expedient of their
being consigned to Dubai or some other place outside Qatar, though
in fact thoy wero 3hipj>ed straight here. Furthermore, however
aatl& factory it may bo to hiui to know that by his action he ha6
averted the throat of a complete blockade, thut is not an argument
which a Ruler enjoys having to advance in Justification of his
actions, Tho concession ho asks would colour tho whole trans­
action with tfMiuricxKB a tingo of reciprocity and enable hliu to
soft pedal tho fact that ho ha3 yioldcd to throats.

C.J. folly Esq., ODE • i
H. M, Political Agent,
Bahrain.