Page 212 - Records of Bahrain (7) (ii)_Neat

602 Records oj Bahrain
Cf.itrnu-.iivT at

7. Her IJujooty'a Government hovo re-examined tho division of the
nohruin/Qnlor sen-bed In tho light of current median-lino
principles internationally accepted in tho Convention on tho
Mori time Sholf of April, 19138. They find that if thoao
principloa wore applied in tho Bohrain/Qutar uoo-bod. rather
than tho principles which oxiotod in 19h7, the of foot might ho to
shift tho boundary oomowhot towards Qatar in tho southern port of
tho oroo. On the other hand, if tho northern port of tho
Bohroin/Qutnr noo-bod boundary woro concoivod oo u atrcilght-lino
continuation of tho 19'l7 line, tho rosuite would bo o grout deal
more favourable) to Bahrain than if tho currently accepted modi on­
line principles wore applied in that orou. Her Majesty*a
Govornmont hovo alroody sold that thoy ore unwilling to depart
from the lino dcclorod in 19h7* They would howover bo ready,
on condition that the l.ulor now ogreoo.to tho 19^»7 definition
oo for no it goes, to moke o n-:v.; declaration oxtonding tho
19H7 boundary in a direction which would- be considerably moro
favourable to the Ruler of Bahrain thon might othorwino bo
tho cono.
0, The principal advantage of such on approach, if it in at
oil practicable, would bo that it would bo uunccoauory to dioturb
tho existing line already declared to Shell iri rerjpoct of tho
Qcitar neo-bed. Furthermore it would help to retrieve our
apparently grans departiuro from modi on-line principloa in 1Sh7»
olnco wo should in effect he ov#urding o componaatory ares to tho
Ruler of Bahrein In order to produce very roughly the nemo nort
of juntico an tho slriot application of median-lino prlnciplco would
hovo done. Lastly, if the Jailor of Bahrain ugrood in to to
it would remove tho existing doubt whether tho Bahruin/Qotor nou-
bod boundory iu ''ugreoc M.
9. My very oinatourlni measurement a ouggoot that undor oomo uuch
uoluticn tho Ruler of Bahrain would not "in fact gain quit a oo
much in the north on hf wan loning in tho oouth (tho dlfforonco
might bo of tho ardor of i>0 oquaro uiilcnU I doubt If thin
difference, however, 16 really significant. I cannot ootimatc
tho offoct of the very|complicated adjualmonla which might also
be mode nocoonnry if current i.iadiim-lino principloa v/oro nppliod
H-
around tho Hm.v/or islands. Tho real loss to tho Ruler of Pali rain
would presumably bo in tho quality of the acu-bod, since it might
bo ousior to v.orlt in tho shallow v.utora in tho oouth than in tho
doopor v» a tern of tho north.
10. I am aondlng a copy of thlo letter and of tho oliurt, and
oloo of Cornmondor Kennedy1 □ lottor of Morch 21, to John Koborly In
Doha.

(A. R. v/olmoley)

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