Page 325 - The Arabian Gulf States_Neat

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Disputes over land boundaries

A significant feature of the geographical structure of the Arabian Gulf
States abutting on the eastern coast of Arabia is that, with the excep­
tion of Kuwait whose land boundaries only have been delimited by
an international agreement,1 they do not have completely defined
land or sea boundaries.2 Although this caused little or no trouble in
the past, today, as a result of the operation of oil companies within
the territories of these States, the interested parties have become
anxious to delimit these boundaries and to settle the disputes arising
from the present state of afTairs.
The unsettled boundary disputes
(a) The dispute between Qatar and Abu Dhabi over the location of Khaur
al- Udaid boundary and the dispute between Saudi Arabia, Qatar and
Abu Dhabi over the demarcation of their common frontiers. These tri­
angular disputes are dealt with together because they involve over­
lapping claims by three States over a common coastal area.
In the dispute involving Qatar and Abu Dhabi, each party contends
that Khaur al-rUdaid, an uninhabited inlet near the base of Qatar
peninsula, lies within its frontier. The historical basis of this dispute
has been explained earlier.3 It suffices to say here, however, that Abu
Dhabi’s claim to this inlet derives its historical basis from the settle­
ment made by some of the Ruler’s subjects at some uncertain date
between 1869 and 1880. These subjects were known as Bani Yas who
later deserted the place and returned to Abu Dhabi. In the years
which followed, the inlet of Khaur al-Udaid remained virtually under
the influence of the Turks, who established themselves in Hasa in
1871, and of the Qatar Rulers. However, in 1872 the British Govern­
ment of India approved a decision taken by their Political Resident in
the Gulf, Colonel Pelly, to the effect that the territory of Abu Dhabi
extended down on the coast as far as the vicinity of Khaur al-Udaid.
Subsequently, the British Government frustrated attempts made by
the Ruler of Qatar in the years 1880 to 1886 to recover that place, over
1 For the 1922 Convention between Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, see Appendix VIII.
2 It is to be noted that Bahrain offshore boundaries with Saudi Arabia have been
defined by the Agreement of 22 February 1958, reference to which is provided
below. But Bahrain still shares undefined boundaries with Qatar. Moreover, in
December 1965 Saudi Arabia signed agreements with Qatar and Iran in which
she defined her boundaries with these countries, as will be seen later.
3 See above, p. 224.
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