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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-Kuwaili 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.0 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
                  aware  of the possible dangers in British withdrawal, and while

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