Page 37 - The Persian Gulf Historical Summaries (1907-1953) Vol II

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esident to make Isa understand that if he persisted in entangling himself on the
mainland they would be free to take such measures with respect to him as they
considered necessary. In 1878 Zubarah was completely destroyed by Shaikh
Jasim the grandfather of the present Ruler of Qatar. In 1895 Isa was told that he
had “ received a final decision on the subject and that it would not be re-opened.”
In 1913 by Article 11 of the unratilicd Anglo-Turkish Convention His Majesty’s
Government undertook to prevent the Ruler of Bahrain from interfering in any
way in the mainland of Qatar. In 1919 the present Ruler's uncle Abdullah visited
London and requested that his father, Isa, should be “ permitted and assisted ” to
develop the port of Zubarah to which he renewed his claim. A reply was sent by
the Government of India in the following year that the request was an old one
which had received much consideration but that they could not see their way to
grant it.(4<)
33. Nothing more was heard of the dispute until 1937. Relations between
Bahrain and Qatar remained outwardly friendly and members of the Al Khalifah
used to visit Zubarah for hunting and Na’im tribesmen from Bahrain for grazing.
In 1937 two factions of these Na'im quarrelled over a woman and one of them
appealed to the Ruler of Qatar. The latter sought to establish his authority over
the tribesmen who appealed to the Ruler of Bahrain. Negotiations ensued which
broke down and the Ruler of Qatar attacked the Na’im most of whom submitted
to him. The Ruler of Bahrain then instituted a blockade of Qatar, and all normal
communications between the two places, except those between Petroleum
Concessions Ltd. and Petroleum Development (Qatar) Ltd., remained closed until
1944. Shaikh Hamad enquired when his claim to Zubarah would be considered
and expressed a desire to consult solicitors in London on the subject. He was told
that his father had been informed as long ago as 1875 that he should dissever
himself entirely from the affairs of Qatar including Zubarah and that His Majesty’s
Government were not willing to intervene between the Ruler of Qatar and the
Na'im tribe.C5) About this time the Ruler of Qatar built a new fort near the ruins
of Zubarah. Hamad protested but no reply was sent to his letter.
34. In 1944 the Political Agent Bahrain effected an agreement (Appendix
D (i)) whereby the two Rulers agreed to the restoration of friendly arrangements
between them as they were in the past and Shaikh Salman then raised his blockade
of Qatar. In the agreement the Ruler of Qatar had undertaken that Zubarah
would remain without anything being done in it which did not exist in the past,
which he interpreted as meaning that no further innovation should take place there.
Salman however insisted that it meant that the new fort there should be destroyed.
This reopened the dispute and early in 1945 the Ruler of Qatar was induced to
remove his guards from the fort. In March 1945 the Political Agent wrote to
Salman informing him that the Political Resident had never supported his claims
to Zubarah. Complaints continued to pour in from him, those between 1946 and
1948 being summarised in a note forwarded by the Political Resident in the latter
year.C6) In March of that year Salman forwarded some rather vague details of the
property and rights which he claimed (Appendix D (ii)). A copy of his letter was
forwarded to the Ruler of Qatar who rejected the claims as being out of date and
made regardless of changes which had taken place in the course of many years. In
his representation to the Secretary of State Salman stated his case more broadly
(Appendix D (iii)) and it is interesting to note that he only asked to be allowed to
hold the land he claimed ” in private ownership for ever ” and that he expressed
his willingness to renounce all oil rights in it in favour of the Ruler of Qatar,
pointing out that he had never claimed such rights. It is thus clear that at that time
he made no claim to sovereignty over the land in question.
35. The terms of the reply to be sent to this representation remained under
discussion for many months and in the event no reply was ever sent. At the
beginning of 1949 Salman agreed that if his people were allowed to settle in
Zubarah the Ruler of Qatar should exercise jurisdiction over them and asked that
he might be permitted to appoint a representative to argue his case with the Foreign
Office in London.C7) This was agreed to and he appointed Mr. Ballantyne, a lawyer
who was at that time the Bahrain Petroleum Company’s representative in London,
/«<\ IO toFO P.Z. 4362/36 of June 24. 1936 (E 3843/260/91 of 1936).
o o FO' P.Z. 4666/37 of July 16. 1937 (E4104/2382/91 of 1937).
W PR to FO Despatch 108 of July 14. 1948 (E 9804/276/91 of 1948.)
(4’) PR to FO 163/3/49 of February 3. 1949 (E 1963/1084/91 of 1949).