Page 107 - The Arabian Gulf States_Neat

RELATIONS WITH KUWAIT 45
wait, as a reply to the latter’s letter of 29 July 1911, in which he advised
the Shaikh not to respond to any request for obtaining sponge con­
cessions by foreigners without seeking the advice of the British Resi­
dent.1 The Shaikh in his reply confirmed compliance with the British
Resident's advice. The second undertaking was given on 27 October
1913, in relation to the future exploitation of oil in the territories of
Kuwait. In this letter the Shaikh assured the Political Resident in the
Gulf that ‘if . . . there seems hope of obtaining oil therefrom we shall
never give a concession in this matter to anyone except a person
appointed from the British Government'.2
On 3 November 1914 the British Political Resident gave the fol­
lowing assurances to the Shaikh with regard to his boundaries and his
possessions, and fruit gardens in Basrah: (1) The Shaikh was to keep
in his possession his date garden ‘situated between Fao and Qumah
without being subject to the payment of revenue or taxes’; and (2)
the Shaikh was to rely on the protection of the British Government
against any consequences if he attacked ‘Safwan, Um Qasr and Buzan’
and occupied them. As these places were actually under the control
of Turkey, the Shaikh was in effect encouraged to make war with
Turkey.
In addition, Kuwait was recognised by the British Government as
‘an independent Government under British protection’.3
Successive rulers of Kuwait had pledged their adherence to the
above agreements with the British Government. So far as Kuwait’s
relations with Turkey were concerned, it is worth mentioning that as
a result of a series of negotiations between the British Government
and Turkey, the latter, by the Convention of 29 July 1913, acknow­
ledged, inter alia, the ‘Independence’ of Kuwait and the special
treaty relationship between her and the British Government. But as a
result of the outbreak of war between Turkey and the British Govern­
ment in 1914, the said Convention was not ratified.4
In addition to the above agreements governing the relationship
between the British Government and Kuwait, there are further agree­
ments concerning the adjustments of the boundaries of Kuwait with
neighbouring countries, such as Iraq and Saudi Arabia. These agree­
ments, which will be discussed in a separate chapter below, were con­
cluded by the British Government on behalf of Kuwait with both
Saudi Arabia and Iraq, in 1922 and 1923.5 Later, the British Govern­
ment enacted the first Kuwait Order in Council of May 1925, which

1 Aitchison, p. 263. The letter bears the Arabic date 2 Sha'ban 1329.
a For original Arabic text see India, Foreign and Political Department, Part 5,
op. cit. For English text see Aitchison, pp. 264-5.
3 Aitchison, pp. 265-6. India, Foreign and Political Department, Part 5, op. cit.
4 Aitchison, pp. 266-7. But, as in the case of Bahrain, Turkey relinquished her
claim to Kuwait by Article 16 of the Treaty of Lausanne, 24 July 1923. See above,
P- 34. 6 Aitchison, pp. 213, 266.