Internal political situation

This file relates to the internal political situation in the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman. It contains correspondence concerning:

• Consul General D C Carden's journey through the Sharqiya [Sharqiyah] and his account of the area, its tribes, the nature of people's livelihoods, its isolation and the political significance of Sheikh Ahmad Bin Mohammad Al Harithi
• The situation in the Sultanate as a result of the June 1967 Arab-Israeli War and the Sultan's neutral stance
• M S Buckmaster's visit to old friends among the Na'im and Al Bu Shamis at Hafit and Qabil, where he heard complaints about the ban on motor traffic south of the Oman Gendarmerie post at Qabil, Sultan Saeed Bin Taimur's reluctance to issue vehicle licenses and the need for Omani subjects to carry passports when leaving Sultanate territory
• An extensive tour of Oman by Buckmaster in September-October 1967, covering the Sharqiya, Jebel Akhdar, Batinah, Wadi Hawasinah, Ibri and Buraimi
• A talk between Sir G Laithwaite and Wendell Phillips regarding the Sultan's attitude towards using oil revenues for development, his reluctance to delegate, the isolation of Sayyed Qaboos Bin Saeed and the threat of incursion from South Yemen into Dhofar
• A public statement issued by the Sultan, in January 1968, on the financial position of the Sultanate in the past and the hopes for the future after the export of oil
• Carden's assessment of things that are likely to positively or negatively affect the Sultanate's long-term and short-term peaceful evolution, including Britain's withdrawal from the Gulf; a meeting between King Faisal Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud and the Imam of Oman Ghalib Bin Ali Al Hina'i; Ghalib's wish to join the Union of Arab Emirates; the support for the Dhofar Liberation Front from South Yemen; travel restrictions on Europeans; the strengthening of the Sultan's Armed Forces; development projects; and the Sultan's increased engagement with other states
• The potential marriage between Sayyed Qaboos and the daughter of Sheikh Ahmad
• The concern of the Ruler of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan regarding the threat of instability in the Sultanate.