Page 144 - Historical Summaries (Persian Gulf - Vol II) 1907-1953

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which the Ruler of Qatar is unwilling to acknowledge. The dispute is dealt with
in detail in the chapter on Bahrain (Chapter 2, Section III).
44. The ownership of the Hawar Islands was also in dispute between the two
Shaikhdoms, and in 1939 they were awarded to Bahrain (Chapter 2, paragraph 41).
In 1947 when a sea-bed boundary was fixed between Qatar and Bahrain
(Chapter 2, paragraph 43) it was decided that the island of Janan, which is not
specifically mentioned in the decision about the Hawar Islands and is separated
from the rest of the group by a deep channel, belonged to Qatar. It may be noted
here that the Ruler of Bahrain claims rights over the whole of the high seas and
sea-bed between Bahrain and Qatar and that he has not accepted the 1947
boundary.
45. When Abdullah abdicated the Ruler of Bahrain hoped for better relations
with his successor and sent him some rifles on loan which Ali was with difficulty
persuaded to accept. In 1950 a temporary settlement of the Zubarah dispute was
eflected, and early in 1951 Ali paid a formal visit to Bahrain where he was well
received by Shaikh Salman. The latter, however, never returned the visit and at
the end of 1952 sent a party of schoolmasters and schoolboys to Zubarah without
any prior intimation to Ali. A map was also published in a Bahrain Education
Report which showed Zubarah as Bahrain territory. Ali thereupon stationed some
police at Zubarah and at the end of 1953 relations between the two Shaikhdoms
were again strained.
46. The relations between Qatar and Abu Dhabi are bad owing to the latter’s
claims in the southern part of the Qatar peninsula (paragraph 24 above) and the
dispute over Halul Island (Chapter 5, paragraph 54). Though Ali has never
specifically supported the Saudi claim to the Khor al Odaid and it has been stated
by one of his entourage that Abu Dhabi would be a less dangerous neighbour in
this area than the Saudis, he has made little secret of the fact that his sympathy
lies with the Saudis in their dispute over the Abu Dhabi frontier generally.

(b) Saudi Arabia
47. The relations of Qatar with Saudi Arabia before 1928 are summarised in
the Historical Summary Events for 1907-1928,(70) in which it is mentioned amongst
other things that in 1923 Sir Percy Cox, on finding that lbn Saud was apparently
including the Qatar peninsular within the tract of country for which he was
prepared to negotiate an oil concession, had taken him to task and reminded him
that he had nothing to do with Qatar except to respect it under the terms of his
treaty with us. He reported that lbn Saud accepted this injunction without
argument.
48. Nothing further of importance happened until 1932 when the Anglo-
Persian Oil Company started negotiations with Abdullah for an oil concession.
Ibn Saud then supported the claims of the Standard Oil Company of California
to a concession (paragraph 26 above). In 1933 he summoned Abdullah to Riyadh
and it is reported though not confirmed that there he warned Abdullah that he
expected him to give any oil concession, that might be going, to his friends the
Americans and not the British. He went on to tell him that only Dohah could
be considered as belonging to the Al Thani family and that the rest of the peninsula
belonged to himself.(*°) In 1934 he sent an emissary to Qatar with whom Abdullah
made certain “ arrangements,” which are believed to have included an agreement
regarding the position of the southern boundary of Qatar (paragraph 22 above).
Abdullah was taken to task by the Political Resident over these “ arrangements ”
as being a breach of the Treaty of 1916,(81) but as he had expressed a fear that he
would have serious trouble with the nomad tribes if he did not keep up his relations
with Ibn Saud he was promised protection on land. About this time it was reported
that Abdullah had been paying a sum estimated at £10,000 a year to Ibn Saud
which was variously described as tribute or a loan.(*3) In August 1935, after
Abdullah had granted an oil concession to the Anglo-Persian Oil Company, Ibn Saud
wrote to him stating that no one other than himself had any right to claim anything

(”) Para. lOatp. 88. P.G. 13.
(••> I.O. toF.O. P.Z. 1177/34 of March 7. 1934 (E 1513/81/91 of 1934).
(") I.O. toF.O. P.Z. 2462/34 of April 12. 1934 (E 2292/81/91 of 1934).
(") Jedda to F.O. 531/412/17 of February 27, 1934 (E 1640/279/91 of 1934).