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: 38 THE LEGAL STATUS OF THE ARABIAN GULF STATES
The Agreement of 3 November 1916
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On 3 November 1916 a new agreement which virtually extended
British protection to Qatar was signed between the Shaikh and the
British Government.1
In the preamble, the Shaikh pledged his adherence, as a successor
to the Government of Qatar, to the engagement of 12 September 1868.
He then undertook, in Article 1, to co-operate with the British Govern­
ment ‘in the suppression of the slave trade and piracy and generally
in the maintenance of the Maritime Peace’. Because the Shaikh was
not a party to the treaties and engagements which were previously
signed by the Arab Shaikhs of the Trucial Coast concerning the
Maritime Truce, he also declared in this article that he would abide ‘by
the spirit and obligations of the aforesaid Treaties and Engagements’.
In Article 2, the British Government undertook to confer on the
Shaikh, his subjects and their vessels ‘all the immunities, privileges and
advantages that are conferred on the friendly Shaikhs, their subjects
and their vessels’. This Article pledged the British Government to
assume international responsibility for the actions of the Shaikh and
his subjects abroad, and to protect the interests of the Shaikh’s sub­
• :
jects and their vessels, and to give them facilities in British ports or in
ports of Arab Shaikhs in friendly relations with theBritish Government.
Article 3 contained a clause prohibiting the ‘import and sale of
arms’ into the territory of the Shaikh, who was also required to
publish a proclamation to that effect. The Shaikh was, however,
assured of being given facilities ‘to purchase and import’ arms from
the ‘Arms Warehouse in Muscat’, or from any other place approved
by the British Government for the purpose of arming his ‘dependents’
or for his personal use, provided that this should be arranged ‘here­
after through the Political Agent, Bahrain’. This was intended to take
the place of similar engagements signed by other Arab rulers in con­
nection with the arms traffic in the Gulf.
In Article 4, the Shaikh undertook to abstain from corresponding
with or receiving foreign agents in his country without the British
Government’s assent. He also undertook not to alienate any portion
of his territories to any power without prior ‘consent of the High
British Government.’
In Article 5, he promised not to grant pearl-fishing concessions, or
any other ‘monopolies, concessions or cable landing rights to anyone
whomsoever’ without British approval. And in Article 6, the Shaikh
agreed not to impose
customs dues on the goods of British merchants imported to Qatar more
than those levied from his own subjects on their goods and that those dues
should not exceed five per cent ad valorem.
1 For the text of this agreement, see Aitchison, pp. 258-60.