Page 10 - Records of Bahrain (7) (ii)_Neat

400 Records of Bahrain

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and also that Shaikh Salman has nullified any opposition among
hie own brothers and from Shaikh Abdullah bin Isa's side of
the A1 Khalifa family. There romaino only the other claimant,
Shaikh Khalifa bin Mohamcd, who hao alwuyu been more active in
advertising hio uspirations. It is noteworthy that when Shaikh
Salman made his announcement, which, subsequently, he explained
to me as being desirable before he paid his visit to King Suud
ol‘ Saudi Arabia, so that it ohould not be suid, if he had done

it after his return, that it was King Saud who had induced him
to do it, his other uncle, Shaikh Mohamed bin Isa, was absent in
Bombay where he was undergoing treatment for his eyes. The other
bin Isa
claimant himself, Shaikh Khalifa bin Mohumec/, wa3 also ubsent,
recovering from some kind of a mild heart attack in Vienna where
he had been on holiday. The visit to King Saud had been decided
after Shaikh Mohamcd and Shaikh Khalifa had left Bahrain. Two
of Shaikh Khalifa's brothers, who stand close to him, Shaikh
Salman and Shaikh Burned, were ulso out of Bahrain Shaikh Salman
f
with him in Vienna and Shuikh Homed undergoing a cure for
ulcoholism in South India. The other representatives of Shaikh

Mohamcd bin Isu'o side of the family present in Bahrain presumably
approved the appointment when it was announced, In fact the most
senior, Shaikh Ali bin Mohamad, is fairly closo to the Ruler and-
could therefore be expected to support him rather than hio own
side of the family and no doubt in fuct did so. Shaikh Khalifa
bin Mohumed and his father have now returned to Bahrain, I do
not expect any effective opposition from Shaikh Mohamcd bin Isa.
Shaikh Khalifah bin Mohumed, however, has now privately protested
strongly'to you against the appointment of Shaikh Isa as heir
apparent. He argued that the appointment ohould not have been
made in the manner in which it was in fact made, and that there
was considerable, opposition to it from the rest of the family.
/ He i
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