Page 642 - PERSIAN 8 1912_1920_Neat

V

60 ANNUAL REPORT OP TI1K PER6IAN GULP POLITICAL RESIDENCY
On July 6th, the following letter (dated Juiy 4th) was liauded to Shaikh
Salim by'the Political Agent:—
" After compliments.—I have the honour to refer to Your Excellency*
letter dated May 4th, 1918 ~ Rajah 24th, 1336, in which you say
that since olden times there oxisted friendship full and perfect
between the British Government and the Rulers of Kuwait in the
time of your late father and brothor and that you ask the Hjgu
Government to extend this friendship and assistance to you anil
that you therefore wrote the above-mentioned letter to say that you
were ready to accept full responsibility on yourself personally |0r
all that happened in Kuwait and its territories likewise and that
you will not allow any acts to be done in Kuwait or its territory
which may be against the interests of tho Government by any
persons, either by your subjects or tribesmen or others who may
come into your territories, and that you will allow no enemies
of the Government to come into Kuwait territory : and that you
will be personally responsible that no goods aro sent to the enemies
of the Government on account of the friendship between- you
and the Government and you request, that Government will give
you the assistance of the officer now here as Blockade Officer to
Lelp you in dealing with this matter and that you wrote this
because you desire that there should be nothing but friendship
and the rights of friendship between the Government and Your­
self.
Your letter was communicated to the Government and on June 3rd-
Slia’ban 23rd I informed Your Excellency that the Hon’ble Major-
General Sir Percy Cox was expecied to return to *Iraq after a
short time and that I hoped that he would then deliver to you
the reply of Government,xbut he has been delayed and therefore
the Government have ordered rae to communicate their reply to
Your Excellency and it is as follows :—
“TheBritish Government have deeply regretted the events of the last
two years at Kuwait but they welcome yonr declaration sa afford­
ing an opportunity for the-re-establishment of. the traditional
friendship between themselves and the Rulers, of Kuwait and
in order that there may be no misunderstanding in the future,
they desire to explain their policy towards Your Excellency :—
On the one haod, should you show to Government the same friendship
and assistance which they have experienced for many years in
their dealings with the Rulers of Kuwait, they will continue to
you the assurances given to your illustrious father, the late
Shaikh Mubarak as Subah, especially that “tbe town of Kuwait
and its boundaries likewise belong to Shaikh Mubarak as Subah,
Ruler of Kuwait, and to his heirs after him” and will extend to
you the friendship and protection and assistance which they gave
to him and finally they hope that you will again raise the name
of your house and of Kuwait to the high position which it held
in the past in the eyes of the British Government and the peoples
of Arabia.
On the other hand it is the plain duty of the Ruler of a State which is on
terms of friendship with the Government to prevent all acts either
by his own subjects cr by other persons in his territory which
may be contrary to the interests of the Government and since
they know that, if you wish to do so, you have the power to
control your subjects and others in your territory, the Govern­
ment will be compelled to hold Your Excellency personaljT
responsible should any such act unfortunately be committed
in the future; They hope that you will fully realise your respon-
sibility as the Ruler of Kuwait towards the Government under
whose protection and friendship Kuwait has so greatly prosper**1
in the past and will understand that that prosperity depends
entirely on the preservation of true friendship both in word sc
deed with the Government.

6