Page 164 - Historical Summaries (Persian Gulf - Vol II) 1907-1953

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encouraging results.(”) Expenditure of up to £20,000 was subsequently sanctioned
for the drilling of wells and of £2,900 for surveys of the Dubai and Sharjah creeks.
The Red Cross society undertook to send a mobile dispensary to the Trucial Coast
but it had not materialised by the end of 1953.C“) In December 1953 Mr. Crawford
of the British Middle East Office visited the Trucial Coast and recommended that
money should be spent on the improvement of the water channels at Buraimi as
well as on the provision of water for the coastal towns.(3n)

VI.—Islands
51. All the islands lying between the Qatar and Musandam peninsulas south
of latitude 26° are at present regarded as belonging to Abu Dhabi except—
(a) islands lying within or adjacent to the territorial waters of other States.
(b) Bu Musa and Sir Bu Na’ir which belong to Sharjah, and
(c) Sirri which though claimed by Sharjah was occupied by Persia in 1887 and
has since been treated as a Persian island.
In 1949 Petroleum Development (Trucial Coast) Ltd. placed markers on all these
islands with the exceptions noted, to show that they were included in their Abu
! Dhabi concessions. So far as is known the Saudi Arabian Government have as
I yet laid claim to none of these islands but they appear likely to do so if they obtain
possession of a part of the coast.
52. All the islands lying between longitudes 52° and 56° and north of
latitude 26° are indisputably Persian except—
i (a) Tamb and Nabiyu Iamb which belong to Ras al Khaimah, and
(b) Nabiyu Farur which is treated as belonging to Persia though so far as is
known it has never been specifically claimed by her.
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53. The history of many of these islands up to 1928 is dealt with exhaustively
in the Historical Summary of Events 1907-1928(3‘) and most of them are described
I
and their history brought up to date in a Foreign Office Research Department not£
I of 1948.(3a) In what follows only those islands are mentioned the status of which
is or may be disputed or which otherwise present special features.
54. Halul.—Lorimer describes the ownership of this island as
indeterminate(33) but in 1869 the Ruler of Abu Dhabi was treated as its overlordO14)
and in 1936 his permission was obtained for the erection of a beacon on it for Royal
Air Force purposes.(3%) In 1937 the Political Resident recommended that he should
fly his flag there but so far as is known this was never done. In 1952 the Ruler of
Qatar laid claim to Halul, where he proposed to build a prison, on the grounds of
usage and propinquity. He alleged that in 1926 oil company representatives had
sought his father’s permission to visit the island.!36) It transpired that on this
occasion his father’s permission or assistance had been sought but that owing to
bad weather the visit had never been paid.(37) It should also be noted that in 1928
the Political Resident reported that his files showed that the island was regarded
as belonging to Abu Dhabi but that he had always understood it to be claimed by
Qatar.(3") The claim was brought to the notice of the Ruler of Abu Dhabi and he
and the Ruler of Qatar were asked to accept Her Majesty’s Government’s decision
' in the dispute. Qatar agreed but Abu Dhabi refused to recognise the existence of
any claim but his. In view of the latter’s pre-occupation with the Saudi boundary
dispute it was decided to let the matter lie dormant for the time being but at the
end of 1953 the Ruler of Qatar returned to the charge. Before the Ruler of Qatar’s
(”) P.R. to F.O. Despatch 41 of April 18. 1953 (EA 1422/1 of 1953).
(2") It was despatched in the first half of 1954.
(30) Tel. from P.R. to F.O. 1045 of December 23. 1953 (EA 1106/17 of 1953.
(3‘) pp. 97-100. P.G. 13.
(”) E. 11181/276/91 of 1948.
(“) p. 617. Lorimer. Vol. II.
(iA) p. 107. P.G. 13.
(”) I.O. to F.O. P.Z. 5866/36 of August 14. 1936 (E 5146/377/91 of 1936).
(3‘) P.R. to F.O. 1082/22/52 of July 3. 1952 (EA 1081/4 of 1952).
(”) P.R. to F.O. 1088/3/53 of February 1 1. 1953 (EA 1083/10 of 1953).
(") C.O. to F.O. 59009/28 of November 1. 1928 (E 5222/3/91 of 1928).
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