Page 153 - PERSIAN 9 1931_1940

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keenness with which Die blockade was being maintained and because of report,
from Mohamad al Tawil, his Customs Director of llassa, that the transit trade
via Ojair and Julmil was showing a distinct falling off.
(//) The years 1931 and 1932 were lean years for the Kuwait merchants and
tribes, and this coupled with the poor pearling season, due to world depression,
reported elsewhere, made considerable inroads into the finances of Kuwait.
These facts have tended to foster a rising feeling of discontent among the people
for their Shaikh.
(//) In order to prepare the way for the blockade discussions which Ilia
Majesty’s Government hoped to see opened with Bin Sand in 1932, and to create
a more friendly atmosphere generally the Honourable Licut.-Coloncl II. V.
Biseoe, Political Resident in the Persian Gulf, visited Bin Sand at Hoffuf in
Ifassn, accompanied by the writer in February 1932. Outwardly the astute
monarch was all that could be desired and was full of promises. Among other
things lie agreed that a commission composed of Kuwait and Ncjd merchants
should meet to discuss ways and means for ending the Blockade without damag­
ing the interests of either side. No doubt he duly made mental reservations,
all along, and saw that the easiest way out of the difficulty was to please his host
by promising anything that was asked. Suffice to say that by the end of 1932
no meeting of any commissioners was allowed to take place, Bin Sand even
refusing to discuss the Blockade at all until other outstanding questions were
settled first. To those who know the “ Great King ” and his elusive ways, the
above failure was exactly what was prophesied. Nothing short of firm retalia­
tory measures, or the removal of Bin S-aud from the field of politics, by either
internal disaster or death will, in the opinion of the writer, ever bring relief to
Kuwait. The first course is, no doubt, the correct one, as delay means disaster
not only to our friends but to our prestige and future interests.
(i) To further prepare the ground and improve friendly relations His
Excellency the Shaikh of Kuwait visited Rialh on 14th March, accompanied by
three of his relatives, lie returned to Kuwait on 3rd April. Outwardly the
visit was the usual success. The “ Great King” was his charming self, and
could not have acted the tpart of generous host better. In a hundred different,
was he played on the feelings of the Shaikh and event went so far as to warn
him against the machinations of His Majesty’s Government who, he snW, were
always out to spoil friendly relations between himself and other Arab Rulers,
etcetera, etcetera.
To sum up flie Shaikh achieved “ nothing at all ” although he was flattered
into thinking that he had succeeded in making and cementing a lasting friendship
which would result in early benefits to come.
Again those who knew only expected this result. During the Shaikh’s
visit the violation of the frontier of Kuwait by Bin Saud’s patrols mentioned
in Section VI above, took place : and mid-summer saw a furthor tightening up
of the Blockade.
VIII.—Relations with Iraq.
(a) These have remained officially excellent during 1932, and would continue
to do so. were it not for the unfortunate underground tension existing between
the two Stales, which differs little from that existing between Kuwait and Ncjd.
(b) As viewed hv the Shaikh of Kuwait, Iraq, Hke Sa’udiyali, wishes to
absorb Kuwait. This is not unnatural seeing that Kuwait narrows her outlet
to the sea to a strip of a few miles and has herself the finest harbour in the
Persian Gulf.
(c) The ’Iraq Government proceeded during the year to impose full taxa­
tion under the Istilhak law of 1931 on the Shaikh of Kuwait’s date gardens in
’Iraq, also to impose export duty on produce from these gardens exported to
Kuwait for the Shaikh’s use. As His Majesty’s Government gave the Shaikh
of Kuwait in 1914 an undertaking that these properties should he exempt in
perpetuity from taxation, the question of securing such exemption, or of com­
pensating the Shaikh in lieu, is under consideration.
In May 1932 the ’Iraq Court of Cassation rejected, on the ground that the
original sale deed was invalid, an appeal made on behalf of the Shaikh of Kuwait
against the dccisoin of an ’Iraq Court allowing the claim of Rnfirn hint Ali Pasha
al Zulmir, lodged in an ’Iraq Court in 1930, to the possession of the Bashiyah