Page 334 - Records of Bahrain (5) (i)_Neat

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enough to drop me a line to confirm that the Company
appreciate the limited nature of the decision given
by His Majesty's Government in regard to this group
of islands". The Company duly confirmed this.
5. In spite, however, of the provisional, or
limited, nature of the ruling under reference, it
appears that the Hawar group have subsequently come
to be treated as de facto Bahrain territory: so
much so, that both this Company and another have been
encouraged to make offers to the Shaikh of Bahrain
for a concession to include the Hawar group. It
is reported also that the Bahrain Government have
recently conducted a survey, built a police post,
and otherwise asserted its authority over the islands.
4. It might appear from this that the matter is
now finally Judged and should not be re-opened.
That this is not the view of the Ruler of Qatar
appears from the following extract from a letter
received yesterday from the Company's Bahrain
Manager: "When I had an interview with the Shaikh
of Qatar on 13th June the subject of Hawar islands
arose. The Shaikh put forward quite confident
claims to their ownership as obviously part of
Qatar. He by no means gave the impression that he
is not serious in his claims, which is the view
usually put forward by the Political Agent.................
He said that he had written three times to the
Political Agent without reply. Incidentally, the
Shaikh of Qatar said that he regarded the Hawar
islands as included in our Concession and not for
disposal to an American Company".
5. This attitude by the Shaikh of Qatar is entirely
spontaneous and no steps whatsoever have been taken
by this Company to produce it. The Company cannot,
| however, be indifferent to it and cannot but hope
t j that it will lead, at least, to an examination of
L ! his claims, to which, at first sight, considerable
\ j force is given by the extreme propinquity of Hawar
to the coast of Qatar, and its relatively great
distance from Bahrain.
6. It may be added that the original negotiator
of the Qatar Concession in 1935, Mr. C.C. Mylles,
was and remained under the impression that Hawar

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