Oil affairs in Qatar

This file concerns oil affairs in the state of Qatar in the period January to December 1973. It contains correspondence relating to:

• The reaction to a pantomime written by the Liaison Officer of the Shell Company of Qatar
• A payment from Qatar Petroleum Company Limited (QPC) to Amir Khalifa Bin Hamad Al Thani in relation to gas production and the possible adverse consequences of QPC refusal; the reaching of an agreement between the parties; and the origin of the misunderstanding
• A labour dispute involving the floormen employed at the Shell Company's Sea Shell Rig
• The figures provided by QPC for monthly production of oil in long tons and barrels per day
• A Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) paper about the 'Oil Industry in Qatar', Parts I and II. The first is titled 'Information on the Oil Industry in Qatar' and includes sections on history, the Qatar National Petroleum Company, concessions, production, refining, exports and export markets, crude oil prices, revenue, reserves, future production prospects, natural gas, the state's attitude, political situation, British interests, maps of Qatar and its oil fields. The second is titled 'Information on the Oil Companies operating in Qatar' and includes sections on the QPC, Shell Company of Qatar Limited, and lastly the Qatar Oil Company (Japan)
• An interview given by the Amir to a journalist of the Daily Express, and including the Amir's views on the use of oil as a weapon against Israel and his response if the Arab League or Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries adopt such a line
• A dispatch from HM Ambassador to Qatar E F Henderson to Foreign Secretary Sir Alec Douglas-Home on 'British Policy Towards Qatar as a Source of Crude Oil', Doha, 11 June 1973, and published in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Diplomatic Report 328/73. It covers Qatar's strong stance against subversion; the Amir's position within OPEC; expatriate Arab officials; the difficulties of Cable and Wireless Company Limited; the withdrawal of British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) from Gulf Air; and policy recommendations
• The list of criticisms levelled by Amir Khalifa against the Shell Company of Qatar Limited, and Shell's attempts to address the persistent industrial action called for by its workforce
• The award of an offshore concession to a consortium led by Wintershall Aktiengesellschaft, excluding areas already awarded to Shell Company of Qatar and Qatar Oil Company (Japan); and a concession for the remainder of Qatar's onshore area to Koch Pipeline Company LP
• The discussions between the Egyptian Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Ahmad Izzuddin Hilal and the Government of Qatar on financial assistance for the Sumed Pipeline