Page 105 - Historical Summaries (Persian Gulf - Vol II) 1907-1953

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Kuwait to advise the Ruler about the administration of his country!2**) but this
proposal was naturally discouraged. There were several serious violations of the
frontier by Iraqi police in this year, and the Iraqi Government set up a special
committee of enquiry to investigate the allegations made.!2'") They reported that
no evidence could be found to support them. At the same time His Majesty’s
Government agreed that the Ruler of Kuwait should establish a police post near
the frontier.!3'") The police were to use peaceful means to secure the withdrawal of
Iraqi patrols but if they were compelled to use force the Ruler was promised His
Majesty’s Government’s full support. So far as is known this post was not
established.
121. The popular agitation against the Ruler in 1938 and 1939 (paragraph 11
above) was fanned from Iraq and violent attacks were made on him in the Iraqi
press, and from King Ghazi’s broadcasting station, and demands were made that
the Iraqi army should march on Kuwait. In reply to a question on the subject
in the House of Commons it was stated that His Majesty’s Government recognised
the Shaikhdom of Kuwait as an independent Government under British protection
and that urgent representations had been made to the Iraqi Government to secure
the cessation of the propaganda against the Ruler.!371) The disturbance at Kuwait
in March 1939 was reported by the Political Resident to be entirely due to Iraqi
propaganda.(*':3)
122. Iraqi incursions and smuggling from Kuwait continued but nothing
further of note occurred until 1945 when the Ruler’s son Muhammad was wounded
by an Iraqi patrol near Zubair and his servant killed. The two police concerned
were arrested and given light sentences.!273) In March 1948 three Iraqis, one of
them a member of the well-known Sa’adun family, who were probably engaged in
smuggling, were killed in Kuwait territory, it was alleged by a member of the
ruling family called Subah al Nasir. The Ruler exiled Subah for a time but he
soon returned and no further action was taken against him. Demands for justice
were received from the Iraqi Government over a period of years and eventually in
1951 the Ruler paid compensation to the heirs of the murdered man without
admitting Subah’s guilt. In 1949 in view of Iraqi demands for the return of
certain offenders who had taken refuge in Kuwait the Political Resident with the
concurrence of the Ruler proposed that a formal Extradition Treaty should be
concluded between Kuwait and Iraq.!274) A draft was prepared and shown to the
Ruler who asked for the omission of a reference to smuggling which it contained.
After much argument it was agreed to omit this reference and the draft was
presented to the Iraqi Government in November 195 1.(274) Subsequently the Ruler
agreed to include the reference to smuggling but the Iraqi Government have not
been informed of this. In June 1953 the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed
Her Majesty’s Embassy at Bagdad that the Iraqi Government were reluctant to
conclude with Her Majesty’s Government any agreement concerning Kuwait which
would have to be presented to the Iraqi Parliament for ratification as this would
lead to their being accused by the Opposition of recognising Her Majesty’s
Government’s special position in the Gulf.(276) They therefore proposed that the
Extradition Treaty between Her Majesty’s Government and Iraq of May 2, 1932,!27 )
should be extended to Kuwait. This proposal was put to the Ruler who agreed
to it.(27*) Her Majesty’s Government were of opinion that before the Treaty could
be extended it would be necessary to make an extradition law for Kuwait. It was
proposed to embody such a law in a Queen’s Regulation and to ask the Ruler to
issue a law of his own on the same lines, but the preparation of the Regulation had
not been taken in hand by the end of 1953. The Political Resident called attention
to the difficulties likely to arise in other cases if the Iraqi Government persist in
the attitude adopted on this occasion, and to the undesirability of allowing them to
get the impression that valid agreements can be made with Kuwait otherwise than
by the agency of Her Majesty’s Government.!279)
(*••) Tel. from Baghdad to F.O. 91 of March 25, 1939 (E 2216/66/91 of 1939).
(”•) Baghdad to F.O. Despatch 259 of May 31. 1939 (E 4087/66/91 of 1939).
(3TC) I.O. to F.O. P.Z. 2643/39 of May 4. 1939 (E 3282/66/91 of 1939).
(”') (E 1777/66/91 of 1939.)
(*ra) I.O. to F.O. P.Z. 2121/39 of April 5, 1939 (E 2603/50/91 of 1939).
(*”) I.O. to F.O. Ext. 5254 of August 1946 (E 7447/4008/91 of 1946).
(*”) P.R. to F.O. Despatch 86 of October 29. 1949 (E 13749/1591 /91 of 1949).
(,r5) Baghdad to F.O. Despatch 182 of November 15, 1951 (EA 1591/4 of 1951).
(*") Baghdad to F.O. 1592/2/1953 of June 15. 1953 (EA 1591/1 of 1953).
(”T) No. 8 VI. T.C.
(”•) Kuwait to F.O. 383/3/53 of November 8. 1953 (EA 1591/3 of 1953).
(*”) P.R. to F.O. 1032/23/53 of August 25. 1953 (EA 1591/2 of 1953).