Page 711 - PERSIAN 8 1912_1920_Neat

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FOB TEE XXAJL 1919.
Mullah resident in the territory of the Sultan, that the Imam would return
tho gardens when asked t.o do so.
Government sanctioned the Political Agent proceeding on these lines, and
it was hoped to conclude an agreement in which Government acted as mediators
between tho Sultan and the Imam, on the basis of tho status quo, in the form
of an exchango of letters between the two parties and tho Political Agent.
The terms proposed were—
On the Sultan’s part—
(1) Freedom of entry for Omanis into Muscat and Muttrah,
(2) Reduction of the coastal Zakat on all goods to 6 per cent.
(3) Return of Omani fugitives from justice.
(4) Release of prisoners.
On the Omanii part—
(1) Guarantee of non-interference with the Sultan’s Government and of
cessation of hostilities with him for the future.
(2) Freedom to trade and travel in Omani and guarantee of thej safety
oi travellers.
(3) Return of fugitives from the Sultan’s justice.
(4) Settlement of the claims of traders and others against Omania,
(5) Return of two valuable gardens, private property of the Sultan’s sub­
jects seized by the Imam.
To all these terms Sheikh Isa, pre?uraably on behalf of tho Imam,
had expressed agreement. It however remained to obtain ratification of the
promise of Isa by the Imam, and for this purpose Sheikh Said-bin-Nasi r-al-
Kindi, as had been requested by Sheikh Isa at the conference, was sent by tho
Political Agent to Nizwa in November to obtain the gardens, when the final
settlement would be confirmed on the lines indicated above. It would be
Sheikh Said-bin Nasir alone who could hope to overcome the religious prejudice,
and the return of the gardens was clearly a most important, point, as no peace
would be a peace which permitted the confiscation of private? property-by one
side without the smallest shadow of right, and at the arbitrary will of a* few
religious fanatics.
The religious difficulty as had been anticipated proved considerable. Thy
Mullas, who momentarily hare complete power over the Imam, are actually
those to whom the produce of the gardens and indifferent to trade advantages
peace and politics, at the end of tho yeat they seemed disinclined, after the
manner of professional holy men, to listen to the claims of reason or justice
when these matters touched their own pockets.
Every effort was therefore concentrated on inducing Sheikh Isa to collect
bis Sheikhs and accompanied by Sheikh Said-bin-Nasir personally to the settle­
ment on the Imam. This was the situation: at the: end of. the'year.
fNot*.— Thoopb tfeefferty- to- iodoec Sbxskb'-fcs' t&- set and to appear before-tho Txaam ..wore slater
fucceitiol, tbe roollah partr provci-too strong and the imam oa- L8th Febraarj*. 1920,'definitely refoeed to
retain the gardens and the proposed settlement!:
Should settlement on these lines be possible an era of comparative pros­
perity should dawn. The. coast will develop and the interior may look after
itself. But Bedawi the majority of the interior are, and Bedawi they will
remain. Utterly unreliable and entirely fickle a change in the shifting tribal
confederation or in the dominant personalities ooncerned whose sole interests
are their own pockets, will completely alter the situation and destroy the most
careful calculations. No agreement will be binding upon them for the simple
reason that they do not know the meaning of an agreement. They understand
only force majeii7\ and if they do not see force mo/ewr(each man will b$ as-a
king fo do as he likes. To-day interior Oman is united, to-morrow it may
sjjlit into a thousand fragments. To strengthen the Sultan’s hands to enable
him to rule efficiently the coast line, and to stand by himself, and to discourage
him from interesting himself in the interior, is a clear policy to pursue. The