Page 259 - Records of Bahrain (5) (i)_Neat

Background and claim to Hawar islands, 1936-1942 247

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appour that until ubout u yeur ugo Shuikh Abdulla
ignored the existence of these i8lands und that
ho is now moved to make a claim to them believing
thut they perhups oontain oil.
6. From pure 3 of Shaikh Abdulla*a oom-

plaint it seems that he bases hio olaim to the
Huwnr Islands, "since the date of deolaring the
independence of Qatar und recognising my ruj^rohi?
over it." The precise date when Shaikh Abdulla
v/a8 recognised as Chief of ^atar is presumably on

reoord, we believe it was between fifteen and
twenty years ago. Is it to be inferred from
Shaikh Abdullu's letter that before the date of
his recognition, fifteen or twenty years ago, the
Hawar Islands belonged to Bahrain but that on
£is offioial recognition ho acquired them? If

they did not, before his offioial recognition,
belong to Bahrain to whom did they then belong?
Shaikh Abdulla in his letter appears to have
produced not a shred of proof or evidence in sup­
port of his olaim whioli depends entirely on his
frequently repeated statement that the islands
belong to him.
7. In para 4 of Shaikh Abdullah oom-

plaint are the words, "it is clear that Hawar is
considered an island of Qatar", To whom is it
dear, exoept possibly to Shaikh Abdulla himself?
Shaikh Abdulla cun produce no proofs of ownership,
no statement from the inhabitants or doouments or

incidents substantiating his olaim of authority-
over Hawur, His contention is that because the
islands are near his coast therefore they must
belong to him. The geographical position of the
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