Page 398 - Records of Bahrain (7) (i)_Neat

384 Records of Bahrain

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The sou-bod bjundary with Qatar has to be act tied l>.vforo the
area relinquished by DAPCO in December 195v cun bo profitably
offered, and Ilia Highness cliooaes to link thin boundary with
bio claims to Zubarnh; the question of bother uuciont righto
to poeiling oystor-bedo confers Modern righto to aubMarinc
oil-fields wao also raised at the ua..o interview. The Political
Resident jointed out that the law ytie.de a distinction between

oyotoru and oil, but lie promised to see whether anything could
be done to obtain the recognition by Qatar o' the Al K! toll fob
family's ;oropcrty rights at Zubarah; in saying this he made it
clear that these rights excluded sovereignty. Although
Ilia Highness seemed to accept this at the tine, in subsequent
talkS| with the Residency, he reasserted claiii. of sovereignty
over Zubarah. The abdication of his old emery, '-hnik.h Ali of
Qatar, in October provided an opportunity, which Gheikh ohl.un
unfortunately did not take; if lie hod done no Move than send a
prompt and friendly telegram of congratulations to Shaikh
Ahmad al Thnni, it night have cleared the air r.:-u.. enabled first
steps to a settlement of the dispute to be tiken. If no
settlement on Zubarah i* reached, it is unlikely that *hc oea-boC

boundary with Qatar cun bo agreed on.
: 10. Relations with other Gulf States remained cordial. The
Saudi Arabian boundary agreement (removing from Bahrain's control
••he exploitation of the only certainly rich oil field in her
waters) was finally concluded in April, and various members of
the Al Khalifah made the.* r usual hunting visits to Oaisu. ah.
In September the Ruler of Kuwait and his suite laid an oxTicinl
visit to Bahrain, ostensibly to rejoice with 3k.?ikh Salman on bo'vh
hin and his non Isa's recovery. The oil companies'roduotion in
the price of crude oil, announced few weeks before it, was
thought to be an equally cogent reason for the visit.

11. This reduction v;ar. not the only fly in the ointment of
j.'APCO'u relations with the Bahrain Government. Burlier in the
i
year the Ruler hud after great pressure, and ignoring tho Company,
warnings about the coot, Induced tho company to drill •:« toot-well
on Paslit-ul--Jarin, u shoal north of Bahrain. At the end of June,
/ the Ruler ................