Page 92 - The Arabian Gulf States_Neat

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b! 30 THE LEGAL STATUS OF THE ARABIAN GULF STATES
: (b) not to allow the residence within their territories of any foreign
:1 agent without the consent of the British Government.1
In 1902, the question of establishing a formal British protectorate
over the Trucial States was mooted by the British Government but it
finally decided simply to maintain the existing loose system.2
In 1903 the principle of British representation of the Trucial Shaikh-
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doms in external affairs was affirmed by the Government of India as a
result of the Dubai Boat incident of February 1901. In that year a
i boat belonging to the Trucial State of Dubai had been obliged by
stress of weather to shelter in a Persian port and was detained by
]
Persian customs. Subsequently, the boat and its cargo were released
in virtue of representation made by the British Political Resident.
Later, the Persian and the French Governments were officially made
aware, for the first time, of the Exclusive Agreements of 1892, be­
1
tween the British Government and the Trucial Shaikhs. It appears
: that following this incident the British Government continued the
practice of representing the Trucial Shaikhdoms in the international
:
sphere.3
Other agreements with the British Government signed by the
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Trucial Shaikhdoms were: (1) An agreement in 1902, prohibiting the
importation or the exportation of arms. (2) An Agreement in 1911,
concerning pearling and sponge concessions. (3) An undertaking in
February 1922 in which they pledged themselves not to allow the
exploitation of oil resources in their territories except by ‘persons
appointed by the High British Government’.4
There is nothing in the above agreements, signed by the Trucial
Shaikhdoms, which either formally extends a system of British pro­
tectorate over these Shaikhdoms or delegates to the British Govern­
ment the right of representing the Shaikhdoms in their relations with
foreign powers.

1 Aitchison, pp. 256-7. 2 Lorimcr, p. 742. 3 Ibid. pp. 744-5.
4 See Appendices VI and VII. For Arabic and English texts, see India, Foreign
and Political Department, Part I, op. cit.