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4. SHAIKH RASHID THEN INVITED HIS SONS, TOGETHER WITH MEHDITAJIR AND BRIGGS, TO JOIN THE MEETING. HE REPEATED FORMEMDI TAJIRS BENEFIT WHAT HAD HAPPENED IN ABU DHABI ( DUBAITEL UNDER REFERENCE), SAID THAT I WAS URGING CAUTION AND DELAY,AND ASKED THEM TO EXPRESS THEIR VIEWS ONLY MEHDI TAJIR DIDSO - AT GREAT LENGTH AND WITH HIS CUSTOMARY DISINGENUOUSNESS.HE SAID QUITE CLEARLY, HOWEVER, THAT WHILST THE PROCLAMATIONOF THE UNION AGAINST I RANI AN OPPOSITION WAS EXCEEDINGLY DANGEROUS,FAILURE TO ESTABLISH THE UNION BEFORE THE BRITISH FORCES WITHDREWWOULD BE MORE DANGEROUS STILL. HE HINSELF DOD NOT (NOT) BELIEVETHAT IT WAS POSSIBLE TO BRING ABOUT A PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT OF THEISLANDS PROBLEM AND HE AGREED WITH AHMED SUWAID THAT THE UNIONWOULD HAVE TO GO FORWARD. IF THERE WAS TROUBLE ( AND THERE WOULDBE), TOO BAD.
5. MEHDI TAHIR THEN MADE A DETERMINED EFFORT TO MISREPRESENTME AS SAYING OR IMPLYING THAT IF THE ISLANDS QUESTION COULD NOTBE SETTLED, THE UNION MUST NOT (NOT) BE PROCLAIMEDUNTIL THE BRITISH FORCES MAD WITHDRAWN AND THE SHAH HAD TAKEN THEISLANDS BY FORCE. IT WAS CLEAR THAT SHAIKH RASHID RAD INVITEDMEHDI TAJIR TO SPEAK IN ORDER TO SHOH SME HOW STRONG THE PRESSURETO ESTABLISH THE UNION WAS. MEHDI TAJIR, ON THE OTHER HAND,OBVIOUSLY FEARED THAT THE MERE FACT THAT I WAS PROBING RASHIDKOULD CAUSE THE LATTER TO CONCLUDE THAT WE WOULD ULTIMATELYADVISE HIM TO GIVE MORE WEIGHT TO HIS RELATIONS WITH TRAN THANTO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A UNION
6. WHEN WE HAD FINALLY GOT STRAIGHT(1 HOPE) WHAT EVERYBODY WASTRYING TO SAY, MEHDI TAJIR EXPLAINED THATMAHMOUD RIAD HAD ADVISED SUNAIDI AND HIM THAT THEY SHOULD MAKEEVERY EFFORT TO SOLVE THEIR PROBLEMS WITH TRAN AND SAUDI ARABIABEFORE PROCLAIMING THE UNION. HE HAD HOWEVER GIVEN THEN THE IMPPESSION THAT IF THEY DID NOT SUCCEED IN THIS BY THE BEGINNINGOF DECEMBER, EGYPT WOULD SUPPORT THE PROCLAMATION OF THE UNIONIN DESPITE OF MAN AT ANY RATE, THE CONVERSATION WAS CONFUSEDAT THIS POINT, AND 1 WAS NOT CLEARWHAT ADVICE RIAD HAD GIVEN INRELATION TO SAUDI ARABIA,
17. MY
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