Page 265 - The Arabian Gulf States_Neat

BRITISH—SAUDI CONTROVERSY OVER BURAIMI 203
The final stages of negotiations ended in 1954, when the parties
agreed to refer their dispute to arbitration by a special tribunal to be
agreed upon.1 The proceedings of this tribunal and the developments
ensuing from it will be discussed below.

The Arbitration Agreement of 30 July 1954, and the Geneva Arbitration,
1955
By the Arbitration Agreement of 30 July 19542 it was agreed to refer
the dispute between the United Kingdom, acting on behalf of the
British protected Shaikhdom of Abu Dhabi and on behalf of the
Sultan of Muscat, at his own request, and Saudi Arabia
as to the location of the common frontier between Saudi Arabia and Abu
Dhabi and as to the sovereignty in the Buraimi Oasis,
to a tribunal consisting of five members chosen by both parties.
By Article II of this agreement, the tribunal was asked to decide:
(a) The location of the common frontier between Saudi Arabia and
Abu Dhabi, within the line claimed by the Saudi Arabian Government in
1949 and that claimed on behalf of Abu Dhabi at the Dammam Conference
in 1952;
(b) Sovereignty in the area comprised within a circle whose centre is
in Buraimi village and whose circumference passes through the point of
junction of latitude 24 degrees, 25 minutes North and longitude 55 degrees,
36 minutes East.
By Article IV the tribunal was asked to
have due regard to all relevant considerations of law, fact and equity brought
to its attention by the Parties under Article V and VI or disclosed through
the exercise of the powers conferred upon it by Article VII.
And, in particular, it was asked to
take into account various historical facts relating to the rights of His
Majesty the King of Saudi Arabia and his forefathers and the rights of the
other Rulers concerned and their forefathers.3

The Geneva Arbitration
After a preliminary meeting in Nice the tribunal, composed of Dr
Charles Dc Visscher (Belgium), President, Sir Reader Bullard (Britain),
Shaikh Yusuf Yasin (Saudi Arabia), Dr Mahmoud Hasan (Pakistan)
1 Ibid., II, Annex 90, February (no date), 1954.
2 Treaty Series, No. 65 (1954),.Cm*/. 9272; Saudi Memorial, II, Annex I.
3 Saudi Memorial, II, Annex 1. To this agreement was attached Exchange of
Notes, bearing the date of the agreement, by which the parties agreed to withdraw
their forces from the Buraimi Zone to undisputed areas, and to maintain a small
police force of fifteen men by each party in the Zone.