Page 132 - Records of Bahrain (7) (ii)_Neat

522 Records oj Bahrain

7
that Uio boundary should begin at tho mid-point of tho

Fasht bu Saafa and run thoncu southwards to join tho
Saudi median lino proposed at tho London talks in
1951, and to suggest that tho Fasht must bo dofinod as
tho area of dopth of one fathom or less. It also
contained accoptance of tho idoa of dividing tho
Baina islands, provided that the boundary was in othor
rospocts satisfactory, but proposed to do tills in a
different manner to that previously proposed by tho
Saudis. After this lottor had boon road to tho King

I urr od him to consider two general arguments in favour
of tho Rulor’s case. Ono was that Saudi Arabia was tho
largost Arab state and had enormous oil rosourcos,
porhaps larger than those of any other country, and
that 1 ng Saud could therefore v/oll afford to bo
gonorous to Bahrain which was perhaps tho smallest Arab

country and had oxtremoly limited oil resources. The
socond argument, which I made clear I was putting
forward on my own and not at tho request of Shaikh Salman,
was that, as King Saud knew, thoro had recontly boon
political unrest in Bahrain and that people were trying
to impose a new constitution on the Ruler and to roduco
his powor. I know that King Saud did not approve of
theso procoodings, and had in fact rofusod to support
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tho reformist party when they had sont an emissary to
him. I suggested that tho best way in which ho could
n strengthen the Ruler’s position would bo to mako a

settlement of this boundary which met Bahrain’s
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requirements. I suggested that it was in his own
/intorost

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