Page 147 - The Origins of the United Arab Emirates_Neat

The Preliminary Oil Concessions: "3

K?? ^ inch of 'landGcargc1 Rend c^oft h
himself responsible for the negotiations with Saudi Arabia, u g
the problem or the shaykhdoms’ boundaries be confronted, in me
existing negotiations, the only Trucial state concerned was Abu Uhabi.
Fowle’s recommendations were sought. He obviously disagree wit 1
immediate solution.
Foreign Office, and did not wish to attempt any ...
This cannot be done without, inter alia, enquiry from the bhaikns
and will be, I imagine, a thorny question which may upset them. 1
think it would be better to wait until Petroleum Concessions Limited
”22
have obtained their concessions before taking this matter up.
The question of boundaries was not regarded as an issue of
immediate relevance, so, with relief, the more practical details of
obtaining concessions were turned to. Holmes proposed to establish
headquarters in Bahrain and ‘request the Rulers of the Trucial
Coast to call one at a time, discuss terms, sign and take away
their bags of rupees’.23 First, however, the India Office instructed
Fowle to obtain from the rulers assurances of safety for surveying
parties. The Resident told the rulers that the British Government
approved of the D’Arcy options provided that they, the rulers,
accepted responsibility for the safety of the company’s surveyors;
if the surveyors were attacked, the rulers would be held responsible
for punishing the culprits and would also have to pay such compensa­
tion as the British Government thought appropriate. A few weeks
later, the Resident addressed the rulers again. This time they were
informed that the British Government had given its approval for
Petroleum Concessions to negotiate for concessions, and that Frank
Holmes was the company’s representative. The Resident also told
the rulers that all concessions were subject to the approval of
the British Government, and that Petroleum Concessions was required
to conclude a separate political agreement with the British Govern­
ment. Fowle reiterated the importance of guarantees of safety.25
Almost immediately, the rulers of Dubai and Abu Dhabi gave
the required undertaking, but the others were slow to follow. The
shaykh of Sharjah wanted more specific information on the amount
of compensation he would have to pay, Shaykh Sultan of Ras
al-Khaimah flatly refused to guarantee the safety of surveyors, and
Shaykh Rashid of Ajman simply ignored Fowle’s letters. Stephen
Longrigg, who had become General Manager of Petroleum Conces­
sions in 1936, suggested to the India Office that the rulers of
Sharjah and Ras al-Khaimah both needed reassurance about the
security clause. Holmes had telegraphed Longrigg that the two
men disliked indeterminate nature as to what mulet would be
imposed therefore their objections to signing protection agreement
until maximum of their liability is agreed’.26 When Shaykh Sultan