Page 38 - Historical Summaries (Persian Gulf - Vol II) 1907-1953

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and asked that his Financial Adviser Belgrave, should also be allowed to participle
in the discussions. A conversation accordingly took place at the Foreign Ollice ana
an undertaking was given that His Majesty’s Government would use their good
offices as far as possible to bring about an agreement between the two Rulers.( )
36. In August 1949 Shaikh Abdullah of Qatar abdicated and it was hoped
that his successor Ali might prove more amenable on the subject of Zubarah. An
early approach was made to him but he asked that the matter should be postponed
for a time. Meanwhile Salman again became restive and at the end ot the year
demanded that Petroleum Concessions Ltd. should cease the use of their jetty at
Sitrah for traffic to and from Qatar but was persuaded to lift this embargo. In
January 1950 he went to see the Political Resident and demanded that either he
should be told that he had no rights in Zubarah or that His Majesty's Government
should force the Ruler of Qatar to observe the 1944 agreement. Very shortly after
this the Political Agent succeeded in bringing about an unwritten understanding
between the two Rulers as a result of which the dispute remained dormant for
nearly three years.CJ) Ali of Qatar agreed that Salman’s retainers might come to the
Zubarah area without being subject to customs duties or any supervision provided
they were “ specified ” and that they brought supplies only for their own use. They
would come under Qatar jurisdiction. He would open the fort there and leave it
empty. Salman should reduce the discriminatory 5 per cent, duty on goods in
transit to Qatar to the 2 per cent, charged on goods in transit to other countries,
should allow freedom of movement between Bahrain and Qatar, and should build
nothing in the Zubarah area. Salman issued proclamations removing restrictions
on travel by his subjects to Qatar and reducing the duty on goods in transit to
Qatar to 2 percent. He also forwarded to the Political Agent lists of the people he
was sending over to Zubarah. He would not agree that they should come under
Qatar jurisdiction and the Political Agent wrote to Ali to the effect that if any
dispute arose as a result of the arrangement made it would be better that it should
be referred to the political authorities for a decision. In the course of the
correspondence the Political Agent gave an assurance to Ali that neither the Ruler
of Bahrain nor any of his dependants would undertake any building in the Zubarah
area. This was presumably based on an oral understanding reached with Salman
who, the Political Agent reported, had with difficulty been persuaded to give up
insisting on his right to “ properties ” in Zubarah. The negotiations nearly broke
down because Ali for a time insisted on leaving two watchmen in the fort. It was
eventually arranged that the fort should remain locked and that the two watchmen
should live in a tent near by.
37. Although Salman quickly dropped the practice of sending to the Political
Agent lists of his people who were going to Zubarah the dispute remained dormant
and relations between Bahrain and Qatar were satisfactory until February 1953,
when a party of Bahrain schoolboys accompanied by schoolmasters, some of whom
were foreigners, went on an excursion to Zubarah and inscribed “ A1 Bahrain ” in
large letters on the walls of the fort.f10) About the same time the Bahrain Education
Department published an annual report containing a map which showed Zubarah
as included in Bahrain territory.*") This infuriated Ali who established a small
police post in a tent close to the fort. Salman demanded the removal of the police
post as contrary to the agreements of 1944 and 1950, but efforts to persuade Ali to
restore the status quo failed.
38. Salman raised the Zubarah question in interviews with the Prime Minister
and the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs when he visited the United Kingdom
for Her Majesty’s Coronation in June 1953.(“) He was told that the new Political
Resident, who was then being appointed to the Persian Gulf, would study the whole
question on his arrival there and the possibility of some form of arbitration was
suggested. Salman replied that he would accept a British arbitrator.
r Arbitration by some local Arab personality such as the Ruler of Kuwait or
of Umm al Qaiwain had been suggested by the outgoing Political Resident,(i3) and
the Ruler of Kuwait himself subsequently indicated that he would be willing to help
(4‘) F.O. to P.R. E 10990/1084/91 of October 12. 1949.
<") P.R. to F.O. Despatch 38 of May 5. 1950 (EA 1084/6 of 1950)
(sp) P.R. to F.O. 1089/6/53 of March 20. 1953 (EA 1017/1 of 1953)
(••) P.R. to F.O. 1089/27/53 of April 23. 1953 (EA 1017/3 of 1953)
n F.O. to P.R. Despatch 107 of July 3. 1953 (EA 1057/3 of 1953)
(") P.R. to F.O. 1089/35/53 of May 14. 1953 (EA 1017/47 of 1953)
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