Page 137 - The Persian Gulf Historical Summaries (1907-1953) Vol IV_Neat

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arms into Ottoman dominions without special
liccnco was prohibited.
Sir N. O'Oonor to Sir N. O'Conor, who was consulted on the
Lord Lanudowno,
Novombor 16, matter, drew attention to the notifications that
1903. had already been made b$ the Turkish Govern­
ment, and suggested that they might sufficiently
serve the purpose the Government of India
had in view. As regards the right of search,
Sir N. O’Conor wrote :—“ In conversation with
the Minister of Foreign Affairs, I gathered that
the Turkish Government would he willing
enough to cooperate in our endeavours to
suppress the traffic iu arms, hut that the right
to search Turkish vessels could only be conceded
in exchange for a reciprocal privilege; an arrange­
ment. which, however one-sided it might prove in
praetiee, would, in prineiplo, he open to obvious
objections.”
6. Persia.—In 1881 the Persian Government
issued a Decree that ° no arms or munitions
of war, sueh as guns, caps, gunpowder, &c\,
should enter Persian territory without the per­
mission of tho Great Government.” In au-
Mr. Thomson to nouncing the issue of this Decree to the British
Lord Qranvillo,
July 12, 1881. Legation, the Persian Miuistcr for Foreign Affairs
wrote as follows on the 3rd July, 1881: ” Since
the right of purchasing arms and introducing
the samo into Persia belongs to the Persian
Government, who exercise it through their own
specially appointed officials, and if this absolute
right were not exclusively confined to the Govern­
ment, and everybody who thought tit to do so
wero allowed to purchase such articles and intro­
duce them into the country, this great govern­
mental privilege would become obsolete, and
considerable ovils w'ould result to tho State.
Therefore Ilis Majesty the Shah has issued
orders that no one shall import arms of any
description whatsoever into this country from
abroad, and any person in whose possession arms
of foreign make are found will bo liable to have
them confiscated by Government.”
As regards the measures taken by the Persian
authorities to enforce the Decree of 1881, it may
Sir M. Durand to be noted that in May 1881 both the Shah himself
I.ord Salisbury,
Juno 10, 1898. and the Amin-es-Sultau telegraphed to the
Governor of Bushiro complaining of the sale in
Tehran of arms by British and Parsee merchants,
and giving strict orders that the prohibition ou
imports should be maintained, and all arms
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