Page 99 - Arabian Studies (II)

The Powers and Mineral Concessions in the IdrTsT Imdmate of 'A sir 89

concession in British hands. Their supply to the IdrlsI would also
provide British manufacturers with orders. Accordingly the French,
Belgian, Italian and Japanese Governments were told that there was
no longer a ban on the export of arms to Yemen and ‘Aslr if such
operations were made within the terms of the Arms Traffic
Convention.6 9
The Italian Government became greatly alarmed at the success of
the British Company and lost no time in seeking to make the Sallf
concession ineffectual. An Italian official was sent to San‘a’ to
discuss the question with the Imam.70 In May the Italians supplied
two heavy guns for the defence of Sallf. Two months later the Imam
was actively preparing to seize Farasan, Midi and Luhaiyah.71 In
August the Governor of Eritrea, Gasparini, led a mission to the
Imam, which resulted in the signature of the Italo-Ycmeni treaty. In
the course of Anglo-Italian talks in Rome the Italians pressed their
claims to trade with Farasan so as to help the economy of Eritrea.7 2
The designs which the British felt the Italians were harbouring on
Kamaran and Farasan led the Foreign Office, in December 1926, to
inform the Italian Government that it could not allow any European
power to establish itself on either of the two islands.7 3
In view of the threat to Farasan which Britain believed imminent,
Aden received authorisation from the Colonial Office to provide the
Eastern and General Syndicate with ammunition from the Aden
Residency stores rather than await for a shipment from Europe. In
September 1926 Craufurd arrived in Aden to take delivery of the
ammunition. On the 25th he left Aden for Jlzan with 100,000
rounds of Le Gras. But before visiting Aden Craufurd had slightly
changed the terms of the concession and he feared the IdrlsI would
not agree.7 4
While the IdrlsI had been negotiating with the Syndicate, Sayyid
Mustafa had been scheming with Cooper, representative of the
Angio-Saxon Petroleum Co., in Alexandria. Sayyid Mustafa argued
that his negotiations in Egypt were only a continuation of those with
the same firm, then represented by Urquhart, in February 1923 which
had remained in abeyance. However, in September 1926 the IdrlsTs
representative in Aden told the Resident that any agreement which
might have been concluded between Urquhart and Sayyid Mustafa in
1923 was not recognized by the present IdrlsI who considered
himself bound by the agreement with the Eastern and General
Syndicate.75 On the 8th September the Resident cabled to the
Colonial Office that he did not propose giving Cooper any support
against the Syndicate in the event of his arriving in Aden from
Alexandria with Sayyid Mustafa.76 On 18 September the Colonial